Tips All Web Designers Will Be Better Off Knowing

Creating a well-done website can be daunting. Regardless of your experience level, a new web design project always inspires a little intimidation. There are many aspects involved including the colors used and how the site should be laid out. The field of web design is also continually evolving. This codingmix article will help inform you as you consider the design and layout of your site.

Keep the size of your web pages small. A lot of modern web pages are full of unnecessary elements, including huge images, Flash advertising, and lots of AJAX. Many people, especially those in rural areas and other countries with less-developed internet infrastructure, don't have high-speed Internet and will have to wait forever for a large page to load.

Pay attention to the colors on your website to make sure they match. Make sure that text can be easily read against background colors. It is generally agreed upon that dark text on a light background is the easiest to read. Soliciting feedback from a friend can help you determine how effective your color scheme is if you develop doubts about it.

Include search elements that let visitors search site content. A simple tool such as a search box lets the visitor easily a specific piece of information on your site. If this option is unavailable, they may leave the site for one that allows a search. Make sure your search box is visible. The right hand side of the page, at the top, is the best location.

Test your website in the most popular browsers and platforms to make sure that it displays correctly. Sometimes scripts that work in one browser may not produce the same results in another browser. So you may need take extra measures, like adding a function for browser detection, in order to ensure that your website will display properly under most conditions.

Build your website using a content management system. Knowing how to build a website using just HTML and CSS is good foundation knowledge, but this can only produce a static website. Web design has evolved into providing dynamic content. If you couple your coding skills with the use of a content management system, you can practically build any type of website that you desire.

Don't load rich content automatically. Rich content mainly refers to music and videos, but anything other than text or graphics qualifies. Many people browse in work environments where sounds suddenly playing is a big problem. Also, many people find such rich content annoying in general. Rich content should require some interaction from the user before playing.

Avoid using animated GIFs on your site. These were popular in the late 1990s, but newer technologies have replaced the uses for animated GIFs that were actually useful. Animated GIFs are low in quality and large in file size. Use static icons for page elements and actual video files for complex animations.

Try designing for all screen resolutions. A simple website can always encourage visitors to remain and read the content. If your site doesn't look good for a specific resolution, the visitor may leave since they cannot view it. Designing a stretchier layout that fits any screen resolution lets you know that all visitors can enjoy the content.

Elements such as the site's colors and the design layout are just a couple of the things you must consider when designing a website. While website design can feel daunting to some people because of many different factors that go into building it, this should not mean the project has to be hard. To design a appealing and successful website, follow the hardware advice provided below.