Building a brand-new website can be fun or it can be a hassle, or even a mixture of the two. You may not understand what needs to be done first, who can teach you the basics, and how much money you’ll need to spend. The article below is a collection of tips that will cover some of the design basics so that you can start today.
If you’re creating a website, make sure you look at it in different browsers. What you’re seeing in one browser may not actually be what other people are seeing. Research all the commonly used browsers and design accordingly. Have a friend or colleague pull up your site in an alternate operating system to ensure their view is comparable to your own.
Scour forums for ideas and instructions on how to get the most out of website creation. Do an Internet search on web page design to find numerous free sites and forums.
Keep in mind that you shouldn’t overuse JavaScript. It has several useful benefits, but can also be problematic. No two web browsers are the same, and each one offers up new versions on a regular basis. Many of your viewers won’t have the most up to date version of the web browser they use. In addition, not everyone keeps JavaScript enabled within their browsers. If they aren’t using either or these options, then they will not be able to view your site.
Use shortcuts. Just about everything in website creation has some sort of shortcut and learning what it is can save you a lot of time. It is even possible to find HTML codes that permit you to implement quick changes on pages without the need to upload them again.
To work out the visual aspects of your site design, you can use a program like Photoshop to create mockups. When amateurs use Photoshop, they often create very professional grade sites based off the capabilities of the software. Although a copy of Photoshop represents a significant investment, the time it will save you and the improvement it will make in your results can easily justify the program’s cost.
Make user needs a priority. The design of the website must be centered on the end user at all times. Factors of note are usability, accessibility, user experience and interaction. It is important to keep your focus attentive to all those different aspects. As you design your website, look at it from the end user’s perspective.
Be very critical of the fonts you choose. The quality of a professional website is measured by it’s fonts. Comic Sans and fancier fonts may not be available on a lot of your users’ computers, so don’t use them. Fonts on your website can be set to match the default font used by the computer of your visitors. Try to use common browser fonts so your users don’t see unexpected type layouts.
With the information from above in hand, you are prepared to take the beginning steps to create your website. Figure out how much money you can spend, talk to others and start getting ideas about the look of your site. You’ll see that designing a website that you can be proud of IS possible – so get to it!
