Important Tips To Consider Before Designing a Professional Website

Website Design is one of the most creative and competitive fields now. If you also want to be a web designer, then you must be providing your best to the clients. Your designs should not only be fresh and new, but also they must have some qualities like cross browser compatibility, standard resolution and much more. Here we are going to define some tips for you which would help you in making your skills more and more polished. Thus if you also want a lucrative carrier in this field, you won’t be missing them. Let us follow the list which has been divided into two parts….

What should be done?

Consistent Design

Try to maintain same kind of layout over all of your website’s pages. Having a different kind of website layout for every single page does not only hardens your work, but it lays negative emphasis on the visitors as they get confused about the navigation of your site and this can effect a lot in terms of traffic. So, if you don’t want this kind of loss, then better way is to take care about the consistent layout of the website.

How to achieve consistency?

Well, one of the simplest way is that make common files of some main elements of your site such as header, sidebar, footer, etc. And include them individually in each page. This can be done using ‘include’ function of php. But remember, for using this function, all your files must be saved with an extension *.php not *.html.

Normal Resolution

A website should be having a resolution compatible with all the browsers. Normally websites are created at a 1280*768 resolution as it has now become a web standard now. But even after being created on this resolution, a website should be  checked in all other resolution for any kind of resolution errors or bugs.

How to check your website quickly in  more than one resolution?

You can simply take help from a website named screen-resolution.com, it is a fantastic online service which help you in checking your website in more than one resolutions rapidly. However if you are working on an offline server while creating a website, then you have to do this work manually.

Explanatory Site Map

A site map is a very useful accessory of any website hosting. Any visitor can get a clear idea about what is contained in that particular website and a proper navigation is given to him/her about it. So, if you want to develop a high standard website, then there should be a site map in it.

How to make a good site map?

The simplest way to create a site map is make a basic structure of it first. The structure can further be employed to create simple one-level lists and also display the hierarchical structure of your web site by nesting lists if your site s more complex.

Let us look at an example:

  • Electronics
    • DVD Players
    • V.C.R.s
    • Computers
      • Desktops
      • Laptops
      • Palmtops
    • Portable MP3 players
    • T.V.s
  • Automobiles
    • Cars
    • Buses
    • Motorcycles
    • Scooters
  • Furniture
    • Beds
    • Tables
    • Chairs

Example by: Webdevelopernotes

But it is just the basic structural layout, for more attractive design, you can simply add more power to your site map by using graphics in it. Such as wonderful images made in Photoshop or some other tool etc. That completely depends on you. But the aim is to make a clear and explanatory site map.

More use of safe web colors

You must be going with the safe colors and fonts (which can be viewed on any software and even with basic system) so as to cater the needs of all kind of visitors. More you will use safe colors, better would be your site visits as now every one would be able to enjoy the color combinations and all the information provided on your website very clearly. This is why we do recommend to use these kind of colors and fonts.

How to know about safe colors?

There are so many online web safe palettes which will let you know about all the safe colors you can use in your website. Use this one if you are not getting access to any other good one. And you will know, how with even basic colors, a website can be made so beautiful.

Centered on the purpose of site

The concept of website should be clear to the visitor. You should take care about this that sometimes the theme and name of website are chosen opposite to that of the concept which misguides the visitor and this should not be done at any cost. Mostly if a commercial website related to any company is to be built, it’s focus is quite clear i.e. to explore the company’s services in front of the people, but in case any blog is to be launched for the sake of income, then mostl

y people do the same mistake of having a non focused concept which completely destroys the visit count of that particular website or it never built up because of this.

 

Simple Layout

The layout of the website should be kept as simple as it could be. The complex layouts sometimes cause irritation to the visitor and it may happen that it would let him/her to never visit your site back even after your site is having useful content. And it is not necessary that only a complexed and highly detailed layout would make your site better, it can be made much useful by a simple layout too. A Layout as shown here in the image is one of the best layouts for creating commercial and mini websites. Or you can also follow your own creation.

How to think about a good layout?

Naah! Never think about it. Just go through the layouts of too much websites, pick some of your favorites, combine their qualities and make your own. Or simply take reference from this fabulous layout referral.

Optimize loading time

One of the most important factor which lays much emphasis on the visit count of your website is its loading time. Not only much bandwidth would be wasted but also it would panic visitors much if your website’s theme is too heavy to load. It happens mostly with those websites which has too much of images. Not only in their articles, but also in their designs.

How to optimize the loading time?

There are certain kind of optimizations which you can do.

1.) Optimize your theme: This can be done by using less images in your theme. And remember, never use a complete image in the background. Rather than using a complete image, using repeated chunks is a better option. It is also important choose right vps hosting or windows webhosting.

2.) Optimizing the images: You can simply use some online or offline tool so as to optimize your images. Follow our wonderful list of 27 stunning image optimization tools for web designers , choose your favorite one and go with it. You can also use some codecs which will make your images to be loaded in a blurring pattern which also helps in optimizing them.

What should not be done?

No hit counters

I wonder why some website and blog owners put these counters in their websites and blogs? I mean, your visitors are simply not interested in how many your website has been taken or how much visitors are online now! This not only lay a bad emphasis on the website’s standard but also sometimes degrades it quality.

What if I want to use them?

OK, if you really want to use them, then do it. But only for yourself. Not for others. Use counters from some standard website like whos.amung.us which provides a complete stats of the website. Pick their gadget (counter or somewhat else) and Place it in some corner of your website like bottom right or bottom left. It shouldn’t be a part of website, but just a tool used for analysis.

No flash texts

Some people think that using flashing texts would make their website much attractive. But it rather makes it dump and low standard. Using flash for making banners is not a good practice as far not necessarily needed. Moreover, it sometimes irritate visitors and they could redirect to somewhere else from your website which you never be wanting so.

How to use flash texts in website?

If you still want to use flash texts in your website, then use them at the place of buttons. Some lite and good effect texts used on / or at the place of buttons would make it beautiful. However doing this is not easy, you should be having a sound knowledge of embedding flash withing HTML (with functionality) to do so. Thus better is to avoid them.

No background sounds

Imagine you have opened a website and suddenly a sound structs your ears and all your work concentration gets destructed. Anyone will feel irritated in this kind of situation. Background music not only slows the speed of website loading but also irritate visitors. Thus it shouldn’t be there.

Where I can use background music?

You can make use of background music if you are having a music based website because it is obvious that if a person is going to open a music website then he/she is in mood of listening to the music. But remember, music embedded should be calm and relaxing, not of that rock type.

No Unnecessary Pop Ups

Unnecessary pop ups are not a source of fascinating your visitors, rather it irritates them a lot. Thus it is much better to avoid unnecessary pop ups as they are nothing else but a reason for irritating and frustrating visitors. I would never like to visit any website for going whom’s page, I have to pass through two or three pop ups first. Thus, pop ups should be avoided as far as possible.

Where should pop ups be placed?

If pop ups are to be used in your website then use it in Login form, register form, or some introductory form such as where you don’t like to create a whole page just for the sake of an isolated but introductory paragraph, then just add it inside a pop up and give an eye catching link of that on home page, etc. Where ever you use it, use it smartly.

No unnecessary ads

Although ads are the source of income for most of the website owners and especially for those who have launched websites just for the revenue purpose but more ads on a single page would weaken the idea of website and this way you would be having a great loss only in desire to earn a little more.

Where I can use ads?

Now it is upon you, ads are not a part of website design, and where to use it can’t be suggested by a designer like me. The only thing which I would like to suggest you is to use ads as such they become an addition to your websites look and feel! Best of Luck!

The Verdict

In nutshell, I would like to say that all these above mentioned tips are useful for you if you really want to be a good web designer. You can not only increase your revenue by adding these to your skills, but it is also possible that you would be appreciated more than now. And if you know any other important tip or trick which you would like to contribute to us, then please add it as a comment here. We will surely be updating with you if the trick is really useful. Till then, enjoy reading us. Thanks!



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18 Comments

  1. thanks for your advice mate,,really help me.

  2. Chat says:

    Hello, i came to this blog even though seeking some thing else, but to my joy i discovered this web site. Keep doing what you might be performing, its fantastic.

  3. techwench says:

    fantastic work thanks!!! for the tips
    ……

  4. Terrific work! This is the type of information that should be shared around the web. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post higher!

  5. Tom Parker says:

    One thing that should often be done before starting a website, is keyword research. This can play a big part in your choice of domain names if you don’t have one already, therefore possibly effecting your logo design and obviously your content.

  6. gostats says:

    that really nice to read that blog. Its really useful information.

  7. Rinat says:

    Hi. I’d like to day thanks for the screen-resolution link. It really is good.

  8. gatis says:

    basic stuff.
    thanks for the screen-resolution.com tho 😉

  9. vihor72 says:

    very very good ………. ♫ ♪♥♪♫ ♫ ♪♥♪♫

  10. web3mantra says:

    Thanks for sharing this post.I like this post.It contains good examples of tips of designing a website.

  11. Eric says:

    Ooh… screen-resolution.com is a nice tidbit, thanks

  12. Thanks for great tips 🙂

  13. PXLated says:

    Resolution…
    “1280*768 resolution as it has now become a web standard”
    It has? Thought it was still at 1024/768 and stabilized there. The iPad is also 1024.
    Do you have any links to stats?

    Simple Layout…
    Unfortunately, a simple header, content, footer layout as shown is probably the most boring layout on the web. If a company/business considers themselves to be “ordinary”, cool, use an ordinary, unoriginal layout.

  14. Thanks for the useful articles, i should concentrate on safe colors 😀