If yours is a startup, online business, you may not be able to afford the expense of hiring a web designer. As a newcomer to building a business online, you will save valuable costs by doing your own site design. Don’t cut corners while you are doing it. Put the following tips to use and create a professional site.
Speed is everything when it comes to the Internet, so make sure that you keep your website’s loading time to a minimum. If your visitors are waiting forever while something is loading on your site, there is a good chance they will quickly leave and never return.
Don’t overuse graphics. You want the site to look professional and well-designed instead of cluttered. Graphics should enhance what you have to say on your site. They shouldn’t be put there to just look pretty. Using an adequate amount of graphics keeps clutter away and helps you focus on site usability.
Pay close attention to the background of your pages. While some websites utilize moving GIF backgrounds, opt for simple background since these moving backgrounds can make text hard to read. Choose a background to work with your website, not conflict with it, and your visitors will be able to better read and understand your site, and your point of view.
A newsletter can help you to get more repeat visitors to you website. Giving your customers the opportunity to receive promotions, updates, or other news in their inboxes can encourage them to return. Place the form for signup in a sidebar or at the top of the pages in your site, and track those who sign up. You can avoid some reputation-damaging trouble by making sure that your newsletter only goes out to visitors who have explicitly requested it.
When designing a site, use free software. Oftentimes, people erroneously believe that shareware is inefficient for certain tasks. However, there are many free programs designed to help you keep your website neat and current. Instead, look around for a free product which has the tools you need.
Dedicate a place where readers can give their input and feedback. That way, if they are having a problem or there are missing items on your pages, you will be made aware and can fix the problem. One way to make sure that visitors re-visit you site is to give them a feeling of involvement.
Going from novice to web page design expert is no simple matter. You will see mistakes along the way. But, you should use what you’ve learned here and you will build an effective site.