Helpful Tips in Web Design

There are some rules to follow in web design in order to make your website and its pages look professional. No matter what type of editor you use to build a website, the editor itself does not enforce rules of good web design and this is what separates the professionals from the amateurs. Keep the following in mind as you go about designing that killer website:

Do Not use Animated GIFS or Other Distractions

Animated GIFs, automatic music when the page loads, and other sounds are all distracting to the person reading the page. Do not use these in web design when trying to make a professional page. Remember that today’s internet is focused on content. The visitor will come to this site in search of information or a product. Popup ads are an annoyance too. Numerous banner ads can blur the main message of your site. Remember also that not everyone has a high-speed internet connection and many times these animated graphics and sounds will slow down loading time on a page and the end result is your visitors will get frustrated and leave.

Do Not Use Background Images

While a background image is a quick way to put some visual content into your site, they are not usually used by those doing professional web design. The majority of sites that are professional in nature do not use background images. Most use a plain white background. Not only do background images make foreground text hard to read but they can significantly increase loading times for the page because most images are typically quite large.

Try to Always Use a White or Pale-Colored Background

Dark or black backgrounds in web design are very distracting too. Now, there are instances when the client specifically wants a black background but most of the time these are for music, television, and radio sites.

Consider the Placement of Navigational Links

Links to navigate to other pages on the site should be placed only across the top of the page, down the left-hand side of the page, and in some cases along the bottom of the page. You should place no more than eight links across the top and/or bottom of a page. The number of links you place across a page is highly-dependent upon the length of the text within the links. However, you should try to keep the text in links very short.

Keep Text within Buttons Short

In web design, if you make the text in the center of buttons too short, it tends to make the button look crowded. Because there is plenty of vertical space, there is really no limit to the number of buttons but if text is too long, it can look crowded if it wraps around or too wide if it does not wrap around.

Avoid Making Users Scroll Horizontally

Good web design practice creates pages where the users never have to scroll horizontally. The name of the business of the website should be displayed across the top but care should be taken to not make the font of the business name or site name so large that it causes horizontal scrolling. Let’s say you put the name of the business at the top of the page and it fits perfectly when the site is viewed on a browser with 1024 x 768 resolution set. In this example the name goes all the way across the screen with no space on the right side in a resolution of 1024 x 768. But some users like to use a resolution of 800 x 600. Guess what will happen? Your page will have to be scrolled horizontally when browsed at 800 x 600.

As Few Clicks as Possible

Do not make the users go through numerous clicks to get to some important information on your site. Users do not like to click and will quickly abandon your site if they cannot get to the product or information the site is selling or promoting. So take the time in your web design to organized pages so that clicks are as few as possible.

In conclusion, there are many other little hints and tips to website design. But if you keep things simple, the site is actually better.