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Are you being left behind by your friends in terms of website design? Do you want to take your website to the next level? There are a lot of ways on how to design a website. But not all are really effective. If you will ask a professional webmaster on how to design a website he'll tell you all sorts of stuffs that wouldn't make sense to you. So if you want to learn how to design a website, then look no further and read the tips below.
Fast loading times
The most important tip in designing a website is to design fast loading web pages. You might have a stunning website but if people we'll have to wait for even just a few minutes for it to load, then you have failed in properly designing your website. A well-designed website must not take more than 15 seconds to load in the browser. Otherwise, it will just be hated by your viewers.
Navigation
Once your website is visited, you must make them go through the web pages in your website. In order to do this, you need to create a clear navigation in your website. Useful or popular links must be put in easily noticeable and accessible places in the webpage. You can also use the left or right part of the page as a menu. Make the links and menu accessible in every webpage of your website. It would be annoying if viewers will have to go back one or few pages back just to click the link to another webpage. You can also use the footer for general-purpose links.
Browser-independent
How to design a website that can be visited by anyone? It's simple. Design it in a way that it can be accessed in any browser. This way no matter what browser the viewer uses he can still visit it without any problems or without the need to install a compatible browser. Moreover, take note of the issues that can be encountered when a webpage is loaded into a particular browser. Fix these errors so that your website will be browser-independent.
Resolution
The next thing to browser-independency is the resolution. You must design your website that will suit the resolution common among computers. It wouldn't be good if viewers will have to scroll horizontally or vertically too much just to get a good view of your website. More importantly, the resolution you've chosen should not also hinder the design aesthetics of your website. It shouldn't be too small or too big that your website will look ugly or awkward.
Keep it simple
Lastly, make your site simple. Don't clutter your web pages with too much color, background, images and links. The only time you can put a lot of pictures is when you're creating a photo gallery or album. Background shouldn't be design too much unless it's necessary to reflect the purpose of the website. Your fonts must also be easy to read and make sure that it would appear in every computer since some computers would change the font if it doesn't exist in its system.
Below are the five steps to creating your own website.
1. Decide on a website theme
Choose a website theme that will flow with your business or personal goals. If you're selling search engine optimization services (SEO), choose a theme that fits well with search engine optimization services (SEO). Perhaps you'd like a website that offers training in a particular field or that provides useful information or services in fields such as health, insurance, marketing, finance, family, home and garden, web design, etc.
Use search engine optimization tools such as wordtracker.com to determine popular keywords in your field. This will help you narrow your theme and find a niche market. The more specific you are, the more likely you'll reach your targeted audience.
2. Choose a Domain Name
You can visit almost any web host to find out what domain names are available. Your domain name is the web address people will type in to find your website and it is completely unique to you. It could end in .com, .net, .org, or a variety of other suffixes.
Example: www.domainname.com
Choose a domain name that meets the following criteria:
1.Not too long.
2.Easy to spell - even for kids.
3.Simple and easy to say.
4.Fits your website theme.
5.Easy to remember.
Remember, your domain name will be used in all advertising campaigns whether in print or online, so keep it simple.
3. Choose Web Hosting
Web hosting is a must for a website. This is the "web space" you'll buy so your website can appear on the World Wide Web. You can choose from thousands of web hosts today, but be aware of the pitfalls if you choose the wrong host. Choose a web host that is dependable, affordable, offers excellent customer service, and offers the features you need for your website. Free web hosting services are available if you're starting a personal website, but are not recommended for business websites.
Be aware that not all hosting services offer special add-on features such as PHP or MySQL capabilities. Not all hosting services offer a reliable control panel for site management and following your website's visitor statistics. So, be sure to choose a web hosting provider that offers what you need for now and future growth.
4. Design Your Website
Once you choose a domain name and secure web hosting, it's time to design your website. You have two options:
a) Learn web skills such as HTML and PHP so you can design your own website.
b) Hire a web designer.
If you choose to learn web design, there are many tutorials and courses online to help you learn. You don't have to spend thousands of dollars taking a college course. Or, you can find a website that has the same features you want and ask who designed it. This will help you find a dependable designer who already has the skills needed for your project.
Either way, determine what type of programming language you will use beforehand. This will be based on the features your website will have.
5. Get Your Website Noticed
It's time to promote your website. You can promote in many different ways: search engine optimization, paid search engines, free search engine submission, e-zine advertising, and even off-line advertising. Include your website address on everything you print such as business cards, newspaper ads, letterhead, envelopes, etc.
Probably one of the most effective ways to promote is by adding content articles to your website. Articles get noticed by the search engines because they are informational and useful. The more information you offer, the better your search engine rankings will be. If you sell insurance, write many articles about insurance for your website or hire a writer to write them for you. Whatever your theme, provide plenty of content for your users.
Use these five steps to get your website going. You're on your way to web success!