Because of the current economic downturn and the lack of jobs, many people are trying to set up home businesses using the Internet. In order to succeed with an online business, you need to have a basic understanding of web design. Read up on some great web design tips you can use to ensure that your business is successful.
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.
Avoid cramming page elements together. Each section of your page should be naturally separated from each other, as this makes the purpose of each section more clear. The easiest way to separate sections is by using DIVs, but there are other ways, including absolute positioning (not recommended), the CSS margin command, and floats.
Always mark files that must be opened in an external program with an icon. Many sites host PDF files, and less commonly, DOC files, that must be opened in Foxit Reader and Microsoft Word/OpenOffice, respectively. These files should be marked with an icon representing the file type, and a link to download the appropriate viewer if the user does not have it.
Always ensure you are giving meaningful feedback, as this is what creates the communication between a website and its visitors. For example, if an action taken by a visitor results in an error, do not simply display “error occurred.”� Instead, provide a message that explains what happened and how the visitor can correct the error by taking a different action. Without this feedback, visitors are more likely to grow frustrated and just give up by leaving your website.
It is not hard to design a website. Some techniques you experiment with may be difficult, but by understanding these tips, the process will be far less complex. Your reason for learning web design doesn’t matter, these tips are going to help you build the perfect site.