While there are many tools out there that can help you build a website, you will need to combine them with your visions. The whole goal to creating your website is to deliver exactly what you envision in your head onto your electronic pages. If you gather the right group of helpful web design tools, you can accomplish your goal. This article will teach you how to properly design your website.
When you’re thinking about how to design a website, you need to be sure to think about the navigation. You want your navigation to be easily accessible and easy to use. Put the navigation bar on every page in a noticeable place. Also, make sure that it flows well with the rest of your page and doesn’t distract visitors.
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.
Make your website easy to scan. Most visitors do not have a lot of time to spend, so they scan to see what they want to read. Emphasized text is more easily scanned and helps readers along, also better ensuring they return. It is also important that the key information is at the top of each page. This helps the visitors see the important stuff first before checking out the rest of the site.
Avoid creating user interface (UI) controls that mislead your visitors. These controls include elements, widgets and more that create an interactive experience, such as a link, drop-down list or button. You do not want to make visitors think that clicking on an underlined word or phrase for example, will lead to a new page if it is not actually linked to something else. When your visitors have expectations of something working a certain way and it does not, they are more likely to assume there is something wrong with your site and leave.
Test your website before it goes live. There’s nothing worse then launching your new website and having to take it down right away due to bugs or other issues. Get a group of people together who are using different web browsers and computer platforms, and ask them to use a beta version of your website, writing down any issues they come across.
If you plan on having a commercial site, you should seriously consider buying your own web hosting. Most free host sites force you to display their advertisements, which is counter-intuitive if you are attempting to sell something as well. Purchase your own hosting to avoid this advertising hassle, so that you can choose your own ads.
You can use whatever kind of technology you desire if you know about web design. You can make your site look however you want. It simply depends on your needs and your style. What is important is that you can design your own website if you apply the tips here.
