When it comes to web design you don’t want to be left in the dust, you want to be up to date so that you know how to program your site as well as what people want. So even though you understand how to build a website make sure that you always fill your brain with new knowledge.
Do not depend on free web hosting if you are creating a commercial site. You are much better off spending money on basic web hosting, which will prevent your site from being clogged by advertisements that you cannot control. Furthermore, free web hosting might not provide you with enough bandwidth to support the kind of traffic your site may see.
Keep your font type simple on your website. Arial or Times New Roman is perfect for any website. You don’t need to get carried away with bubble letters or illegible chicken wings. Exotic fonts might seem cool to you, but your visitors are going to have a tough time reading your site.
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.
Be wary of web hosting companies who claim that they offer unlimited bandwidth to their customers. Usually there is something that is written in the small print that is far different than that. In many cases people end up having problems when it comes to fair use policies.
If you’re new at web designing, there are lots of resources online that you should tap into. Resources such as Six Revisions are a great way for you to learn the newest technology and keep you up to date.
Place your logo at the top of each of your web pages. It is an easy way to link all your pages together and make your site one coherent entity. In addition, it creates brand recognition for site visitors. Use a logo that encompasses what your company is all about.
HTML5 video is set to become the next standard for displaying videos on the web and naturally, you should offer both a way in which users can stream your content through an HTML5 format as well as another format such as flash for those who have an older browser version.
Don’t spend so much time designing the technical features of your website that you forget about the content of the website. Be sure to take the time to write quality content, or have good content written. You want site visitors to keep visiting your site, and that will only happen if you provide them a good experience not only visually and technically, but mentally as well.
Where you can, recycle certain pieces of your site like navigation bars and logos. Not only does this help with creating some sort of brand consistency to your website, it also helps speed up the page load times for your visitors. Web browsers will cache these pieces upon first load, making them quicker to reappear the next time they are found on a page.
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!
Xpertweb is a Web Design Newcastle company based in the UK – SEO
