As a web designer myself, I can say that learning as much as I could from experts was how I got started. I looked at their sites, checked out their code, and even borrowed from their designs. Today there is a great deal of information available to help you get into the game, and this article is a great place to start learning.
Don’t neglect cascading style sheets. Using a style sheet makes it easy to give all pages of your site the same look and feel. It also reduces the file size of your pages, as the CSS file can be accessed once on the server and then from the user’s local cache thereafter.
When you are creating graphics or photos for your website, be sure to keep the file size small. If your graphics are too large, your page will load slowly and your visitors will leave. You can find many free or inexpensive graphics programs online that will optimize your images before you load them to your website.
Don’t try to fit too much onto one page when you’re designing a website. If your page is too busy it will take a lot longer to load and can overwhelm visitors. When you’re going to be putting up a lot of content, create pages for everything you can to reduce the clutter on your page.
Avoid using frames on your site. Back then, they were the height of technology, but technology has moved on. Frame-based designs cause readers to have trouble bookmarking your site, and scrolling can also prove burdensome. There are better ways to allow your users to browse your pages easily.
Avoid using frames. Most sites have abandoned frames on their own as better alternatives have become available, but there are still sites out there that are trapped in 1996. Alternatives to navigational frames include fixed-position navigation panels, having navigation in multiple areas (e.g. left and bottom) or simplifying page structure so that navigational links are never far away.
Incorporate a search function that lets visitors find what they need. When a visitor wants to find something specifically, they will immediately look for the search tool. They may go to another site if you don’t have one. Always put the search box on the page’s upper right corner, since this is where visitors usually look first.
Be certain that your website can be scanned easily. Most visitors won’t actually read everything you write and will skim for what they want. Break text into sections with headers that can be scanned easily by your readers. On the upper area of each page, you should place your key information. This gives your visitors a better experience.
Now that I’ve been designing websites for over a decade, I feel that I can give some advice back. Use the tips in this article, continue learning as much as you can, and stay on top of trends to ensure your websites stand out in the crowd. If I can do it, anyone can!
