If you are one of those non-believers who think all websites are created equally, then visit a site hosted by Google or Yahoo, or a site such as Facebook or Twitter to see the difference. The easily notable differences between these sites should tell you that web page design is important. If you want to learn about website design, make sure you read these tips.
Titles which are descriptive and full of keywords are great to use. As an experiment, do a web search for the term “untitled document”. See how many inexperienced web designers there are! The importance of naming your site cannot be overstated. Page titles play a large role in the process of search engine optimization because search engine algorithms pay significant attention to them.
Your website needs to have easy navigation, if you want to have multiple visitors. Links should be highly visible and easy to locate. Menus also make navigation more user-friendly. Make sure you have links back to your main pages accessible on every single page of your website; that way, visitors are able to always get around.
You should always create a visual sitemap so that you can plan ahead accurately. The use of a visual sitemap will allow you to see how things are developing. Then, you will have the ability to isolate areas that need more work. Having a visual representation is key to designing a website.
Avoid the use of CAPTCHAs whenever you can. The captcha triggers a response from the viewer that he or she now has to perform complex problem solving just to view a simple webpage. Only the most devoted members will stay on a page with captchas, while others will leave to go to other sites.
A search engine is an absolute must if your website is larger than a few pages. This is commonly located in the topmost-right corner of the screen as an empty bar, which users can insert a search term or phrase. FreeFind and Google both have these capabilities for a website.
Make your content globally friendly. Ensure that you provide measurements, dates, times and currency figures in terms that can be understood by a world-wide audience. Most sites won’t be viewed by just locals, so people in many countries need to be able to understand and relate to the content.
For every web page that you create, validate it. There are quite a few WYSIWYG editors that are guilty of putting a great deal of junk code on sites that they design. Therefore, if you have used one of these programs, take the time for the extra step of validating the code through a specialized validation service. There are many free validation services available; one such service is W3C.
It’s likely that you will not make the very next Twitter or Facebook. The chances of this happening are remote. The great reality though, is that solid design skills will help you design sites that are very attractive and work well. Your sites will be able to function just as perfectly as sites of those with much higher budgets. Use the tips in this article to start designing your own website.