Website Design 101: What You Should Know

Hiring a professional web designer to develop your website is a large investment. Will you be able to afford changes if you don’t like what they produce? No one else can make your visions become reality. You are the only person who knows exactly what you want. If you want your website to really meet all the goals you have for it, learning a bit more about web page design will help you achieve a satisfying result.

Speed is vital online, so be sure your pages load quickly. If a visitor needs to wait while the page loads, they may click off your site and not return.

In order for your website to be successful, it must work properly regardless of the browser that is used. You should therefore make certain that all of your web pages are thoroughly tested on a variety of browsers. Something that functions fine in Firefox, might not even appear on the screen of a computer using Internet Explorer or Chrome. Visually test your website in every browser you can prior to launch.

Include search elements that let visitors search site content. If visitors want something specific, they will immediately scan for a search function. If your site is not equipped with one, visitors may go to an alternate site. Always put the search box near the top-right corner of your pages.

Make your visitor’s life a little easier by preserving the content they enter into forms. An example of this is if someone fills out a form to register, and then has to fill out other forms for other things. If the person’s info transfers from one form to the next, it will be much more convenient and less time consuming for the user. This kind of “sticky” information saves your users time and effort, and they will likely appreciate the streamlining this kind of good design provides.

Publish a newsletter, to increase your likelihood of having repeat visitors. This can be an excellent way of building your client base. Track the number of visitors who sign up, and position the sign-up form in your site’s sidebar. Make sure you only send out the letter to those that have explicitly requested to view it.

The best part about website creation, other than the fact that it’s simple, is that you can easily translate your vision to reality with a few simple clicks or a few lines of code. The tips above are various methods you can use to create a great site. Try a few of these techniques to create a more attractive and satisfying site.

There are tremendous opportunities for small businesses and social entrepreneurs to support their communities through community foundations, donor advised funds and other means of giving back. Find the neighborhoods in
Greene County, Missouri
where you can make the most impact on the youth in the community.