Make Your Web Design Easier With These Techniques

Now matter if you run an online business or a blog, you must know how to make a great site. Web Design Birmingham can be one of those vital "make or break" components when it comes to success. The tips in this article will help you create a website you can be proud of.

For multimedia presentations, take advantage of the new HTML5 standard. Although HTML5 isn't quite as robust for animation and games as Flash, it has the advantage of working stably on mobile phone browsers, including those contained in Apple hardware. HTML5 is also quite a bit leaner than Flash, so load times will improve, as well.

Make sure your webpages aren't too long. You only get one chance to make a first impression, and if your most important content is "below the fold," it may not even be read. If you have a lot of related content that needs to stay together, consider breaking it up into sections and adding links to each section.

Be careful when introducing new colors into the design of your website. Make sure that text can be easily read against background colors. Dark text on light back grounds are typically easier on the eyes than the other way around. If you aren't sure if your color scheme works well, show it off to a friend for some feedback.

Include a search element that allows visitors to search within your website content. Visitors may look for something specific, and that box will be the one of the first things they look for. If there isn't one, visitors will probably leave your site rather quickly. Always put the search box near the top-right corner of your pages.

Always ensure you are giving meaningful feedback, as this is what creates the communication between a website and its visitors. For example, if an action taken by a visitor results in an error, do not simply display "error occurred. Instead provide a message that explains what happened and how the visitor can correct the error by taking a different action. Without this feedback, visitors are more likely to grow frustrated and just give up by leaving your website.

A good key to remember is that your site should load in 10 seconds or less. A website that is designed well should load up very fast no matter what browser the visitor uses. The majority of online users demand instant gratification, and it is in your best interest to provide it.

You should always put in the effort to make a customized error page for your site; this page should include a basic sitemap that links users to the major sections of your website. This ensures that if visitors follow a bad link or spell your URL wrong, they will be able to find what they are looking for.

You need to master the fundamentals of good web design, regardless of the type of site you are designing. Web Design Birmingham plays a large part in whether your site as seen as attractive or a trustworthy source of information. So keep the above tips in mind when designing a website.