You may be able to find tutorials about web design. However, most of these tutorials are only trying to sell you on a software program, so that means that they won’t be giving you the goods. This article will tell you what you need to know about web design.
For multimedia presentations, take advantage of the new HTML5 standard. Although HTML5 isn’t quite as robust for animation and games as Flash, it has the advantage of working stably on mobile phone browsers, including those contained in Apple hardware. HTML5 is also quite a bit leaner than Flash, so load times will improve, as well.
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.
Test your site to see if the major translation services work properly when translating your site. Some sites receive many international visitors, and these visitors sometimes use services like BabelFish and Google Translate to translate the text to their language. Certain web design problems, especially poor server side code, can break these services.
White space is an important part of web design, so don’t be afraid to use it. Cluttering up your web pages with too many images or too much text, or using a distracting background, will only irritate your visitors. White space can make the important elements of your page more visible.
Have a site map. These are useful to your clients and the search engines, as they give a detailed overview of your entire website. It can be a guide for viewers searching for a certain part of your site, and also allow you to keep track of its structure and layout.
Test your website in the most popular browsers and platforms to make sure that it displays correctly. Sometimes scripts that work in one browser may not produce the same results in another browser. So you may need take extra measures, like adding a function for browser detection, in order to ensure that your website will display properly under most conditions.
Know your subject. Research your subject before posting anything. Providing misleading information to your consumers will only cause them to leave your site. Knowing your subject inside and out is essential for a good blog or website.
Don’t include pop-up windows when designing your website. You’ll only annoy your visitors with this type of content, regardless of how important the information in the pop-up windows is. As a result, your users may just go away from your site, too angry to come back.
If you want to build a website fast without having to learn a computer language, use a code generator. Using a code generator allows you to quickly build a site and prevents you from making a mistake when you have no idea what computer programming is. Code generators are not only fast, but you will be able to learn a lot too.
Avoid frames at all costs. Just don’t use them. While they can make it simple for your menu or header to appear all throughout your site, the address bar won’t change on each page. This can make it impossible for your visitors to link to any specific page on your site.
Always make sure that your site design works well on every browser. Your coding might look great in Firefox, but it could be askew in Internet Explorer. You need to find out exactly how things look in all browsers and then code in a way that leaves your site looking the same on every popular browser.
Every website designer needs a good platform to test their work out on, and XAMPP is probably the best out there. XAMPP will allow you to run your test sites with PHP and mySQL, so you will always be able to spot anything that needs to be changed. XAMPP is a relatively light download and it’s also easy to figure out.
Stay with a layout that is basic and not all that confusing so that you don’t confuse yourself. Do this so that you get the basics down first then try your best to upgrade to an intermediate site and from there progress to a site that is more advanced in the end.
Don’t force visitors on a path since that can keep them from their workflow. Don’t force your user to attend to pop-ups, surveys and other intrusive nonsense. By requiring visitors to do something before moving on, you will likely cause them to run far away and never return.
You need to realize that building a website is going to take longer than you originally expect it will. Let’s say that you believe you can get a site done in three weeks. Well, by the time you design it, load all your pages, test, make your tweaks, and ultimately finalize, you could be looking at months.
If you ever run into a problem don’t be afraid to ask for advice. Go ahead and consult with a friend or someone through a forum or email who you think might be willing to help you. You aren’t going to get anywhere if you don’t get any help, we all need it from time to time so don’t feel any shame.
Look for unusual sources of inspiration when designing your website. Check out museums, art galleries and magazines. You should stay vigilant and look around you throughout the day because you never know what might spark your next great idea.
White space is important. “White space” doesn’t have to be white, it is simply blank space on your web pages. Website visitors don’t like websites that are overly cluttered and confusing, so use content sparingly. Adequate white space is necessary to maintain ease of readability.
With all that you learn, the confusion you may have about building a site will disappear and become second nature to you. But first, you have to gather the parts and then assemble them into your own design. Use the information in this article to create the best website possible!
