Understanding Web Design: A Simple Guide For You

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Understanding Web Design: A Simple Guide For You
Understanding how a website functions does not necessarily mean that you know how to build one. Tinkering with html code and adding various design features takes a skilled hand. If you want a site that looks great, schooling yourself in web design is a wise first step.

Make sure to read these design tips below if you need a hand.

It is always good to add a favicon to your website. The favicon is a 16x16 image file in the .Ico format. This image is the one you see next to the URL bar, next to the title of the page on an opened tab and is also visible on your bookmarks tab if you choose to bookmark a page. The favicon will help users quickly recognize your page in their browser without reading any text or directly viewing the page.

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.

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.

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.

Make sure your website is easily scanned. Various tests on usability demonstrate that most online readers do not actually read all the content; instead, they scan it for something that interests them. Using text that is emphasized to break it into sections that are easily scanned ensures your readers are more likely to return. Also, make sure to keep the most important information at the top. All of this ensures a more satisfying experience for your visitors because they can quickly find what they need.

If you believe your site may be accessed via mobile devices, you will want to keep your designs simple. The use of flash, excessive images, and complicated menus will not translate well to a mobile platform. Keep your page clean and simple, or create a specific mobile site for your users.

Utilize the software out there that doesn't cost you a thing when you are designing your own site. Oftentimes, people erroneously believe that shareware is inefficient for certain tasks. However, there are many free programs designed to help you keep your website neat and current. Just look around a bit to locate the ones that will work best for what you need.

Stay away from pop-up windows as part of your design. Even though you may find a reason to have them, your visitors will find them annoying. Many visitors to your site may simply exit the site when faced with a pop-up. If this happens, they are unlikely to return.

Optimize your website of old versions of the IE browser. People seem to hate this browser, but many still use older versions. You will have to use workarounds when dealing with this issue, so keep that in mind. One tip of utter importance when dealing with the older Internet Explorer browsers is to educate yourself on the bug referred to as box model that haunted them for years.

Creating a visual site map for your website is important. Knowing what you'll have on each page allows you to prepare ahead of time and to know what direction your site will take.

Now that you've read the web design tips in the above text, you can see that designing a site isn't very complicated at all. It is a specialized skill, however; and you will need a good bit of accurate information to assist you.

Remember to use what you've learned here to your advantage so that you can build a beautiful, flawless website.