| Web Design is an art, yet following basic steps can | | | | market. Page statistics buttons are common, yet most |
| help lead even a non-artist to a good design. For the | | | | decent web hosts provide the same service with no |
| novice or the expert, there is always more to learn | | | | advertisements required. People also use effects like |
| with these web design tips. | | | | fade-ins and outs, which can slow down a user looking |
| Web Design Tips | | | | for information. This is a potential source of irritation. |
| 1. Graphic Design of the Site | | | | 4. Clear and Concise Content on Web Site |
| There is a saying "First impression is the last | | | | In most cases, the content of a site should be clear so |
| impression." The design of the site is one of the most | | | | that the visitor knows from the very first page what |
| important aspects to be considered while creating a | | | | the site is intended for. To reach the most visitors, the |
| web page. If the design is good and easy to | | | | information should be clearly conveyed without the use |
| understand then visitors are more likely to view many | | | | of jargon that an average person might not |
| pages of the site. An ugly, unclear site is likely to result | | | | understand. |
| in pages being closed without looking at the content at | | | | 5. Update the Site Regularly |
| all. The layout of the entire site should be consistent | | | | If you want people to revisit your website then make it |
| and each web page should look as a part of one web | | | | a point to regularly update your site. If visitors always |
| site. The same content presentation style and color | | | | find new information on your site then they are likely to |
| scheme should be followed throughout the pages of | | | | visit again. If the information is always stagnant then it |
| the site. The content of the site should be divided into | | | | is very difficult to keep a visitor's long-term attention. |
| logical sections. For purely artistic sites, there are | | | | 6. Limit the Use of Graphics |
| obviously exceptions to these rules. For sites aiming to | | | | Using many images can cause page downloads to be |
| make money these guidelines should almost always | | | | slow. Slow web sites are irritating to visitors on slow |
| be followed. | | | | connections and fast connections alike. Further more, |
| 2. Limit the Use of Plug-ins Required to View Your Site | | | | search engines do not index text in images. |
| Try to avoid the use of extra components which the | | | | 7. HTML Coding Standards |
| user needs to download to view the web page. | | | | Proper coding standards should be followed for cross |
| People tend to avoid downloading unnecessary | | | | browser compatibility. For example, many people omit |
| plug-ins and they might close the web page without | | | | the use of alt tag for images and people with slow |
| viewing it if they have to download and install a new | | | | internet connectivity might have problems viewing the |
| plug-in. However, some external components have | | | | images. If alt tag is present then at least the visitor will |
| become very common. Components such as Java | | | | know what is missing. Proper height and width |
| Applets, Shockwave and Flash components, and | | | | attributes ensure the page is viewed correctly as the |
| Active X components are becoming standards for | | | | page loads. provides a widely used standard. |
| web development. | | | | Web design tips can help you over a hump with a site. |
| 3. Avoid Unwanted Tools and Effects | | | | Use them to get the most bang for your buck. |
| Don't use every tool that is freely available on the | | | | |