Today web design has become as simple as 123. Nearly anybody can get their own website by using drag and drop themes with little programming. However, there is a big difference between an amateur website and a professional one. The main reason most people opt to design their own sites is cost. If you are just a beginner and you want to lay down a website for whatever reason, there are some basic things you must have in mind. Whether the website is for personal or business use, these key elements will play an important role in its functionality and accessibility.
If you do not find a relevant answer to these questions, then you should remove that specific feature to simplify your site.
A simple rule to remember is that your navigation should be accessible and usable without your users need to have a device that is either CSS or javascript enabled.
Secondly, a good site does not leave the users wondering where the navigation system is. It should be easily visible either at the top of your start page or at the sidebar.
The importance of choosing a few fonts is consistency. Use your fonts consistently and ensure that all your headings are different from the rest of the text but not different from each other. Similarly, the subheadings and other tags such as product prices. Try to keep the font size above 12px.
Fonts go hand in hand with colors. As earlier stated, these are just additives and should not be overused. Use of primary colors on the website's background may affect the visibility of text and images. Choose colors that give your site a bright theme. If you do not know much about color coding, just use the basics.
Use a Clean and Simple Design
Most newbies, tend to think that filling the website pages with colors links, and images are what makes the site good. Well, a simple design will work perfectly for any site. The reason being, the simpler the site the more usable it is. A simple site sticks to its purpose and gives the website visitors an easy time. When you are adding features to your site ask your selves these questions;- Does my website really need this feature?
- What exactly does this element do or how does it help the user?
- How does this feature tie to the goal and purpose of the website?
If you do not find a relevant answer to these questions, then you should remove that specific feature to simplify your site.
Optimize Graphics for quick Page Load Times
Graphics are an important part of a website and they play a key role in communicating the purpose of your site. Unfortunately, they can equally be frustrating to your users. When people land on your site, they immediately want to know what it is all about, whether it is what they are looking for or not. If your site graphics are too large in size, the loading time gets extended hence frustrating the users. Here is a simple rule to follow when picking the right image formats.
- Solid color images are best saved in form of PNGs or GIFs.
- Images with continuous colors, for example, photographs are saves as JPGs.
Have A Proper Navigation System
The site navigation is the most important aspect of your site. Even before you start designing, you should have an idea of how you want people to navigate through your site pages. It is surprising how most site designers even the professional ones fail to not get it right. When arranging your menus, give priority to pages that contain your target message or products. If it is possible, your message should be reflected on the home page of your site. This is another reason you should keep your design simple.A simple rule to remember is that your navigation should be accessible and usable without your users need to have a device that is either CSS or javascript enabled.
Secondly, a good site does not leave the users wondering where the navigation system is. It should be easily visible either at the top of your start page or at the sidebar.
Use Fonts Methodically
What most new designers fail to realize is that the fonts provided are just additives. They do not necessarily make your site different, they are just there for aesthetic value. Some website building tools (which you can compare at a site like Best 10 Website Builders) may have more than 1000 fonts to choose from, but you essentially need 2 or 3.The importance of choosing a few fonts is consistency. Use your fonts consistently and ensure that all your headings are different from the rest of the text but not different from each other. Similarly, the subheadings and other tags such as product prices. Try to keep the font size above 12px.
Fonts go hand in hand with colors. As earlier stated, these are just additives and should not be overused. Use of primary colors on the website's background may affect the visibility of text and images. Choose colors that give your site a bright theme. If you do not know much about color coding, just use the basics.
