Web Design 101: What You Should Know

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Web Design 101: What You Should Know
As more and more of our lives take place online, any business that wants to succeed needs to make sure it has an effective Internet presence. However, if your website does not work properly, your business will suffer. Learn how to design a great website with the following tips and techniques.

Make sure your site passes the NoScript test. Download and activate the NoScript extension for Firefox and see if your site is still readable. Some content, such as ordering systems for products, can't work without scripts, but if your site is simply blank with scripts turned off, that's bad news.

Watch your use of color combinations when building your site. You need to ensure that the text on your site is easily readable against your chosen background. Generally speaking, it is easier on the viewer's eyes when they see darker text on paler backgrounds, rather than the other way around. If you are uncertain about the effectiveness of your color scheme choice, try it out on a friend and solicit feedback from them.

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 you don't have one, they may go to another site which does. Make sure the box is on the right at the tip of the page, which is where most visitors will look first.

Build your website using a content management system. Knowing how to build a website using just HTML and CSS is good foundation knowledge, but this can only produce a static website. Web design has evolved into providing dynamic content. If you couple your coding skills with the use of a content management system, you can practically build any type of website that you desire.

If you have never designed a web page, try using pre-made layouts. These can easily be found online for several blogging web sites like Blogspot or Tumblr. Having an interesting layout will draw attention to content and give the site a professional look. Just make sure your layout is appealing to your target audience!

Be sure the websites you're designing are cross-browser compatible. You must check your site in the most popular versions of every top browser. Some examples include Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Opera. Many users use these browsers for surfing online, so you need to be sure your designs are being seen correctly on whatever they use.

White is an effective and visually attractive background color for a website. Viewers will feel confident in the professional look afforded by a solid white background. Complicated background designs can distract your visitors and, it can also make your site look less professional. When choosing a background for your website, a simple background is better.

Test your site on multiple browsers, platforms (Windows 7, Windows XP, Linux, etc.) and devices (Mac, PC, tablets, cell phones, etc.) Different browsers will read and display a site in different ways, which can have some unintended results for site visitors. You can do a little research to find out what the popular browsers are. View your website in each of these browsers to ensure that the page will be viewed correctly.

As you have seen, web design does not have to be a difficult task. Once you know more about the basic principles involved, you should be able to construct a website that will appeal to your visitors and help them find what they need.

Use the tips you have read in this article for the best results.