New web designers must begin by studying web design basics so they can create simple, effective websites. There are many resources out there to help a new web designer begin; this article is one of them. This article contains tips that will lead to better web design.
NoScript is your friend and a test your site has to pass in order for it to be deemed functional. Download the NoScript extension on the Firefox web browser and activate it to see if your website can still be read. There are some elements (e.g. ordering products) that will not work if there is no script. For this reason, if your website is blank and has no scripts, it will not work.
Color combinations are key in branding your website. Make text visible against the background hues. It is typically easier to see darker lettering that is set upon light backgrounds than the reverse. If you can’t decide if the colors are right, ask someone you know for feedback.
Break up long text blocks. Having a huge wave of text is unnecessary for any site, especially when you can break it up by using images, or even separating it into different pages. Boring your viewers will only make them leave, so keep things as simple and fresh as possible.
Learn how to use colors to influence your readers. Every color has a certain feeling that it can induce. For example, using black backgrounds or images could bring up feelings of depression and darkness. The use of a color like yellow is associated with happiness. Take the time to read up on the psychology of colors when determining your site’s color scheme.
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.
If you plan on having a commercial site, you should seriously consider buying your own web hosting. Most free host sites force you to display their advertisements, which is counter-intuitive if you are attempting to sell something as well. Purchase your own hosting to avoid this advertising hassle, so that you can choose your own ads.
Provide a navigation menu on every page of your site. While this menu does not have to link every single page of your site, as this could be an exhaustive list if you have a very large site, it should provide links to the main pages. This ensures that your visitors do not have to return to the home page and start completely over when it is not necessary.
Include text content on your link page. This helps visitors better understand what they are getting into. If you have hidden links, users may mistakenly navigate away from the page they were on.
A well-written “About Us” page is worth the effort. Too many websites do not spend enough time creating an original ‘About Us’ page. Try to write this content in an entertaining way. Try to give people a little look what your personal background looks like, try to show what made you get into web designing, who or what inspired it, and what you would like to achieve with your business.
It’s now a given that new web designers need to learn web design basics to be able to build handsome, properly functioning websites. It might be hard to know where to start since there are so many different resources to choose from. What you’ve read here will get you started and help you to figure out where to go next.
