Internet users notice a design right away and it can influence their opinion of a website. Because first impressions are so important, you should get your design right on the first attempt, so that people won’t leave your site as soon as they enter it. Use these tips to avoid losing customers.
During the site design process, it may be helpful to create a series of lists and shortcuts that can be referred to whenever needed. Use these same resources when you decide to improve or update your website.
If you allow advertisements on your website, do not go overboard. Having lots of ads can make your site seem unprofessional and spammy. Only place advertisements on your site that are relevant.
Design your website so that it will please the eye and be simple for users. A website that is easy to navigate helps visitors stay longer because they know how to find information. You want to give important information, but keep things as simple as you can so that there is no frustration when people are using your website.
Pay attention to the colors on your website to make sure they match. You should be striving to achieve easily readable and visible text set against your chosen background shade. The text opted for should be dark in color, with a lighter color used for your backgrounds. Ask your friends to give you feedback on the colors you choose.
Speed is king when it comes to webpages, so be sure that your images are loading quickly. If someone visiting your site has to wait a while in order for a page to load, it’s likely they will click off your site and leave. They probably won’t return.
One critical part of great web design is ease of navigation. Links should be easy to find and prominently displayed. Menus render your website easier for users to surf. Link back to the homepage from every other page on your site; this makes it far easier for users to get around.
Functional websites work out for all visitors, regardless of their browser, so it’s essential that your website is tested across all the major platforms. What works in Internet Explorer may not necessarily show up correctly in Firefox, Chrome, or Safari. Verify the way in which your pages load in all major browsers prior to your official launch.
Be vigilant in policing your website for content that has become obsolete or outdated. If your website is advertising a festival that occurred three months ago, your readers will just leave. Users wants to browse sites that they know are updated frequented with relevant fresh content, but if the site has outdated information then they know it is not well-maintained. Set up a regular schedule in order to update your content, and eliminate items which aren’t useful anymore.
Let users cancel actions if they desire. This could mean ordering products, opting in to an email newsletter, or returning to the homepage from deep within your site. When you do not allow visitors to cancel something they do not wish to complete, you are forcing them into something, which can prove detrimental to fostering return visits and/or purchases.
Ensure that you save personal information that the user might need to enter again into your site. For instance, if a user registers at your site and another form requires the same information again, be certain your website preserves this data to prevent them the useless and annoying hassle of filling it in again. With this “sticky” information, you create a simpler, easier experience for your users, which will prompt them to stay on-site longer.
Be careful with your use of JavaScript. JavaScript is highly overrated because it can cause issues for some users. No two web browsers are the same, and each one offers up new versions on a regular basis. Not all of your visitors will have the most recent version of the browser they are using. On top of this, some visitors will have JavaScript disabled in their browsers. Your website may not have any functionality to offer these types of users as a result.
Do not use pop-ups on your site. There is nothing worse than visiting a website and getting assaulted by tons of pop-up ads. Even large, popular websites can lose visitors by mistakenly employing pop-up ads. Stay away from these types of annoying ads, and your customers will be happier. If your host gives you no choice about using pop-ups, you probably ought to choose a new one.
With a newsletter, you’ll get repeat users. If you have your clients subscribe to updates, they will have a reason to come back again and again. Stick the sign-up form in a spot that’s out of the way, such as in a sidebar, and keep good records of those who sign up. Do not distribute the newsletter to people who have not specifically requested it; otherwise, recipients might become irritated.
Always implement powerful site-searching capabilities when designing a large website. At the top right of every page in your site, incorporate a search box which will let visitors search for a term that appears on your site. You can get search functions to improve your website at FreeFind and at Google.
When designing a site, use free software. Investing in powerful software packages like Photoshop is only worth it if you think they’ll pay off in the end. Just do some research and see what you can find that can help you along the way of your web design efforts.
Photoshop is a good program to use if you are a beggining web designer looking to manifest an attractive site. Photoshop and similar programs enable amateurs to design sites quickly. Building a site from scratch can be overwhelming for amateur designers, so take advantage of design tools and programs that can do some of the heavy lifting for you.
The design of your site not only should please the eye, but it must also present your content in a way in which your reader will be able to find it. You should always put your best foot forward for the first impression. Remember to apply the above tip when creating a design for your site.