Many people love to design websites, but they aren’t quite sure how to organize their pages. Like anything in life, organization is key and the same goes for your website. If the site is not organized then you will have frustrated visitors who cannot find anything. Continue on to the article below for some great tips on how to best design an organized website.
If you’re designing a website, make sure the code you write has a valid HTML+CSS. Although most browsers can make sense of code that isn’t valid, it could be rendered correctly or incorrectly. Valid code will render the same way most of the time in modern browsers. You can check the validity of your HTML code with an HTML validator.
Make sure your text and background has the proper contrast. There’s evidence showing that white text on a black background is easiest for most people to read, but other colors are fine so long as they’re readable. Also keep in mind that people with visual impairments may not be able to read your site if the contrast is poor. Check to see if your site complies with various contrast standards using the tool at http://snook.ca/technical/colour_contrast/colour.html .
Avoid useless scripts. Scripts like counters and date/time scripts don’t really serve any purpose, and since they are all JavaScript, can add a few kilobytes to the page’s file size. Getting rid of these elements also frees up space on the homepage. Replace those useless scripts with useful content that keeps users coming back.
Don’t use frames. It isn’t the 90’s anymore. Frames used to be beneficial in some ways, but they always had their issues. Frame designs are harder for the audience to bookmark and scroll through. There are many better alternatives to frames.
A great way to get repeat visitors to your site, is by having them subscribe to your newsletter. Let your customers sign up for important events and updates so that they return to your site. You can incorporate a form in the sidebar of the site and track users that sign up. Just send your newsletter to subscribers.
Be sure your website works both with and without the “www” prefix. Some people will type this in before they head to your site as a force of habit, and some may not. You should make sure that customers will be directed to your site either way, or you may have some confused people on your hands.
To help design an attractive looking website, use interesting photos that you have taken. Putting pictures on a website adds a more personal touch and helps the user relate better to your information. Many people enjoy pictures.
Use custom error pages to make your site more informative. For instance, if you want people to report dead links on your site, either put a server-side script on your 404 page or have a form or email address that visitors can use to report the error. You should have custom pages for 403, 404, and 500 errors, at the very least.
To help you create good web pages and fix mistakes on your own, learn computer languages. Educating yourself on how a website actually works will help you quickly fix any mistakes. Knowing how to deal with problems on your site will save you time and money, as you will not have to rely on outside help to remedy the situation.
As stated from the article above, it is very important when you design your website that you have it organized properly. If your site is disorganized then nobody will find anything and it will leave your audience annoyed. Apply the advice from this article so you can design a website that won’t make your visitors click out of it in frustration.
