A subject like web design scares a lot of people from time to time. This is because they’re unfamiliar with the subject, but just like anything else the more you learn about web design the more confident you become.
So use this article and the advice within it so that you can feel confident about web design.
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.
Use fixed-position navigation so your users can navigate your site with ease. This involves locking your site’s navigation panel as visitors scroll down. It benefits virtually everyone who will visit your site.
Frames are a holdover from 90’s design elements. While frames were helpful in the field of web design back then, they were also problematic. Using frames makes it hard for viewers to bookmark your website and can make scrolling a chore. Use a different technique to help visitors organize information.
Don’t disable the visitor’s right-click functionality. Some sites do this in order to prevent people from copying and pasting text or saving images from the site. The thing is, it doesn’t work and disables other useful functions. OCR can be used to capture text from such sites, and grabbing images is as simple as taking a screenshot.
If you believe your site may be accessed via mobile devices, you will want to keep your designs simple. The use of flash, excessive images, and complicated menus will not translate well to a mobile platform. Keep your page clean and simple, or create a specific mobile site for your users.
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 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.
Selecting the right server to upload your files, it is important for site design. You want a file server that is reliable, secure and fast. The pros go with FileZilla because it fits the bill in terms of speed and reliability. You can choose this or something similar; what’s important is that you have a reliable file server.
Try your best to update the content of any old sites that you have. You want to make sure that any of the sites you build seem like they’re up to date with the technology that is out today – you don’t want a site that looks 10 years old.
Continually educate yourself on site design. After you conquer one skill in web design, move on to the next one. This may lengthen the amount of time it takes to build a website, but you will truly know everything you need to know in order to build sites in the future.
Tackling something like web design really isn’t that hard, at least when you know what you’re doing. Hopefully with what you learned from this article you’re feeling a little more confident in the subject and you’re able to apply all the knowledge you gained to reach any of your endeavors.
