In this day and age, you would be foolish to not even consider using advanced Contentin Web Design methods as a way to get your company’s name out to the world. With the amount of devices that are used to connect to the Internet that exist today, you will want to read this article in order to make sure that you take hold of this opportunity and make the most out of it.
Don’t neglect cascading style sheets. Using a style sheet makes it easy to give all pages of your site the same look and feel. It also reduces the file size of your pages, as the CSS file can be accessed once on the server and then from the user’s local cache thereafter.
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.
Look at your site in multiple browsers when designing it. What you’re seeing in one browser may not actually be what other people are seeing. Research every popular browser that people use, and adjust your design accordingly. You will also want to send your site to someone that’s using a different operating system so you can see that their browser is compatible with yours.
Be sure your site has a tagline everyone can see. A tagline is seen as a statement that tells people what a business’s site is about. The tagline serves to entice people to linger at your website rather than just pass through. Research shows that visitors spend roughly 8 seconds deciding if a website is worth exploring further. So make your tagline count.
Use ALT tags whenever possible. These helpful tags describe an image to a viewer, assisting the visually impaired, as well as those who prefer to browse without images. As an added bonus, some search engines include these tags in their rankings, so you may get a boost by using them.
Your site should be able to be scanned easily. Most visitors do not have a lot of time to spend, so they scan to see what they want to read. Using bolding, color changes and breaks between sections of text makes your content easier to scan and makes it more likely that visitors will return. In addition, be sure to keep key information toward the top portion of the page. This will help your visitors quickly locate the information they are looking for.
Avoid creating user interface (UI) controls that mislead your visitors. These controls include elements, widgets and more that create an interactive experience, such as a link, drop-down list or button. You do not want to make visitors think that clicking on an underlined word or phrase for example, will lead to a new page if it is not actually linked to something else. When your visitors have expectations of something working a certain way and it does not, they are more likely to assume there is something wrong with your site and leave.
To help your website visitors find their way home on your site, always include a link to your homepage on each page of your site. Having a home page link that is visible allows your reader to easily make their way back to starting point. If you do not have a home page link then your visitors might get frustrated and leave your site altogether.
Keep the sizes of your files and images small. Excessive loading times are a death knell for any site. The larger the files are that must load, the longer a user’s load time is going to be. Most users will click away if the page doesn’t start to load within the first few seconds of opening your page.
Keep your education ongoing. Websites are constantly changing, every day, and if you stop learning new things, you may find yourself falling behind the pack with your designs. Try to convince yourself to learn one new thing each day, be it programming a new background, or a simple HTML setup.
Use a well known software program that is known for getting the job done to help create a professional looking website. These programs make it easier to create professional, attractive content for websites. If you don’t have PS, it can be difficult and time consuming building a nice site quickly.
Make sure you optimize your website for older Internet Explorer versions like IE7 and IE8. Internet Explorer is not well regarded, but many still use it, and some even have outdated versions. Workarounds are needed because the browser is not 100% compliant with standards. It is important that you are familiar with “box model bug” which has harmed IE for awhile now.
The file types will affect the load time of your website. When it comes to graphics, it is normally wise to employ GIFs and JPEGS. You want to avoid PNG or BMP files as these take up too much memory space. By converting your file types to more manageable sizes, you will provide your visitors with a better experience.
Part of designing a good website is finding the best website hosting package. You want a package that offers ample disk space, bandwidth, email accounts, and such. If you cannot find a good website host for your project, then you shouldn’t start your project. Hold out until you can locate a premium host.
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.
In conclusion, one of the most important things to consider when creating a web site for your company is to use the best web design methods available. It would prove foolish to try to just get by. Ideally, you are much more comfortable with web design methods after reading the previous tips.