In today’s time-crunched world, most people literally don’t have a minute to spare. This hurried pace extends to the realm of website design — your professional Web design must satisfy the demands of users with a wide range of options for viewing the Web.
Even if you create a website design that’s worth a wait, visitors faced with slow download speed aren’t likely to stick around. So how can you make sure that time is on your side? Pay close attention to seven professional Web design tips to create a website that won’t slow your business down.
Clean up your code
While HTML text is much faster than graphic text, there are ways you can make it even faster. Watch out for extraneous HTML coding like spaces, unnecessary tags and even white space — that can increase the size of your files. Remember that less is more, and use defaults for tags or remove them wherever possible.
Compress your images
Images are a great example of how looks can be deceiving in professional Web design. You might not realize just how much space they occupy when you create a website design. By compressing your images before adding them to your professional Web design, you can reduce/shrink a GIF or .JPEG image by up to half its original size. You may also want to specify the height and weight of your images in your HTML, which can decrease loading time.
Pay attention to page size
Even if you use all of the tips above, your page size may still be big enough to cause a slow response when all the pieces of your website are put together. Remember that less is often more in professional Web design, and use only the content that is absolutely necessary. Ideal page size is around 30KB.
Use thumbnails
Thumbnails are an especially helpful website design technique for ecommerce websites. Provide customers with a small, fast-loading image of your product and let them decide whether they want to view the larger version of the image.
Limit use of flash
Flash is a classic example of style over substance and, while it definitely has its place in professional Web design, it must be used sparingly when you create a website. Even if your visitors have the right flash player (and many won’t), it will increase your site’s download time. Flash is also one of the Web site design elements that is not yet accessible to search engines, which means it can only hinder your search engine optimization efforts.
Reduce server requests
Any element of your design that loads from a different server whether it be a graphic, an audio clip, or an ad will elicit an HTTP request each time the page loads. Create a website with limited external content to reduce loading time.
Switch to CSS
Many Web designers now use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) instead of the more traditional table layout. CSS is a styling language that has a dual purpose in professional Web design: it can save you time when you create a website and save your visitors time by drastically reducing page size and download time.
When you create a website design for your business, go the extra mile to ensure your website has the speed your visitors need — or risk getting passed by.
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Better Your Web Design Skills With These Tips
Many people approach site design on their own, using fonts that aren’t readable. If you use the correct font size on your website, then it’ll be easy to read for the visitor. The following article offers you a number of great tips that will show you how to create the perfect font size.
A tagline can be very beneficial for your site. This will let people know what your business represents. Using a clear tagline is important because when someone visits your page, you have roughly eight seconds to capture their attention and entice them to explore the rest of your site.
Be aware of your background. If you have a GIF background that moves, your text may be too hard to read. Make your site easy to read by choosing a background that complements the design of your website and doesn’t overwhelm it.
Make your visitor’s life a little easier by preserving the content they enter into forms. For instance, if a user registers at your site and another form requires the same information again, be certain your website preserves this data to prevent them the useless and annoying hassle of filling it in again. Creating transferable form information will make the overall process simpler and quicker for your visitors, and they will be happy with the time you have saved them.
Use JavaScript only when necessary to avoid losing some potential viewers. JavaScript is highly overrated because it can cause issues for some users. The web browsing softwares out there differ greatly, and they all release new versions with frequency. It is often the case that people don’t rush to get the latest version. Also, many people do not enable JavaScript in web browsers. If you choose to use JavaScript every time, you will prevent some users from being able to effectively use your site.
Do not use pop-up windows. Many consumers are bothered when they visit a site and are suddenly bombarded by pop-ups. They’ll be much more likely to leave your site out of annoyance if they are confronted with pop-ups. It’s best to stay away from this type of ad to keep your visitors happy. If your webhost places their own popup ads on your website, it is time for you to change your webhost.
Regardless of your target crowd or your site’s purpose, you always want to aim for a ten second loading time or better. This will make people want to stay on your site. If it takes too long, a visitor is simply going to become frustrated and go elsewhere.
Don’t use too many fonts when making your website. You must also consider how different fonts appear on the standard computer screen; smaller serif fonts (Times New Roman, for example) are somewhat hard to read. Many sites make use of Verdana, as it can be read in many sizes and colors.
As you read in the article above, with so many people creating websites today, it is vital that you understand what the proper font size is, otherwise the site becomes difficult to read. Use the above tips to make a good website that visitors will enjoy.