Have you come across websites that are so well designed that they make you marvel at how they were done? From colors to fonts to graphics, there are many things to keep in mind for making a better website rather than a sloppy one. The tips here will teach you a few tricks about designing websites. Keep reading to uncover more secrets on web design!

If you’re working on web design use the right graphics for the job. Many people no longer use use bitmap graphics because the files are large and take longer to load. Try GIF, PNG or JPEG files instead. For non-photographic images, text buttons, and screen shots, use PNG or GIF. JPEG works best for photo images.

Fixed-position navigation is useful to visitors. This technique involves locking a site’s navigation panel in place as the visitor scrolls down the page. Not only do visitors find this convenient, but so do internet marketers who have calls to action they want in place.

Before going live, test your website against NoScript. Download this extension in Firefox and see how your site looks. When your site is just a blank page, you have a problem.

Keep your website fresh and free of dated content. For example, if your web page is promoting some event that occurred a year ago, you’ve probably lost a lot of your readers. The average online user values fresh content and attention to detail. Put removing outdated content on your to-do list, to do every 2-4 weeks.

Utilize newsletters if you want repeat visitors. If you provide customers with an opportunity to keep abreast of upcoming promotions or events, they will be more likely to return. Place a signup form on your site in a sidebar, while maintaining a list of everyone who signs up. Stay on the ethical path and only send newsletters to users who request them.

Always separate topics. When you focus on different discussion topics, give each one its own page. This will lessen the confusion some customers may experience, while it gives search engines a much broader view of your website, which could raise your rankings.

Avoid having pop-up windows on your website. While you may think these have some value, the majority of people will just find them annoying. Every pop-up window you throw in front of your website visitors increases the likelihood that they will abandon your website in frustration. Once they leave, it’s highly unlikely that they’ll be coming back.

Your website should be optimized to include older versions of web browsers such as Internet Explorer. While it is often viewed as a sub par browser, a large number of users are still using old versions of this browser. They often don’t render elements to web standards, so you will have to work around them. Specifically, you should get up to date about an issue that plagued IE called “box model bug”.

Broken Links

Monitor your site periodically for broken links. All links should be double checked before you upload them. This is very important because visitors will be put off if they repeatedly click on broken links on your website. You can prevent this by frequently checking that all links still work.

You are in the right direction if you are using a web host’s website building tools, but it is not ideal to rely solely on those tools. If you stick with the plug-and-play site creator given to you by your host, your website is never going reflect your unique personality the way it should.

Before you design a full website, start small. Make some smaller websites so you can easily see which areas you can do well, and which areas you may need more work on. Start with an index page that introduces your business and products, then use what you learn from that page’s feedback to build additional informational pages.

Adobe Photoshop is widely-known, and a lot of people are sure that becoming familiar with the program is vital to, if not entirely synonymous with, successful web design. Check out dreamweaver for a program that can help you with your web design endeavors.

Ask somebody to test the functions of your website at every step of your design process. Every time you add a new feature, make sure someone stops by and judges it impartially. Perhaps you think the loading speed of a video is fine, or that the colors are harmonious, but someone else might tell you otherwise. Always seek feedback from outside sources.

It’s not necessary to rush out to purchase expensive books on how to create a website. Yes, some may be helpful. You can find books available that are filled with useful information. But you can find this information for free. Books you pay for aren’t going to tell you any more than books that were free.

You always need to think about site security. An SSL certificate can be a vital purchase if your site will be handing personal identification or financial records. Additionally, you should consult your website host and look for security features that will be offered with your package.

Placing new items high and far to the left will draw attention to them. Visitors read starting at the left, so doing this ensures that they will see the best information first.

The secrets are here for you to benefit from. Begin planning today and figure out what you want to include. Be sure not to plagiarize or copy, just use those ideas as a springboard for your own imagination.