Creating a website is easy.
No, it really is. Anyone with a computer can do it. Creating an attractive, easy to navigation, highly functional website is not. Here is our list of Dos and Don’ts when creating a website:
Domain Name
Choosing the right domain name is critical. Choosing the right domain name is critical. I said it twice because choosing the right domain name is critical. Choose something easy to remember, easy to type and describes your business. Do not use numbers or dashes. Try to find a .com domain name. Network Solutions is a good place to start your search.
Create a Color Scheme
Creating a meaningful color scheme is essential to any advertising, especially your website. In today’s age, your website is your primary form of advertising. Your color scheme should consist of 2 to 3 primary colors and 2 to 3 secondary colors. Every color is the spectrum has meaning and affects viewers subconsciously.
Integrate Your Logo Ensure that your logo meshes well with the color scheme your have selected. Also, consider your logo while selecting your color scheme. If you are interested in a new logo, We Can Help.
Font Selection
Generally you should select and use only 1 font on your site. That font can differ the font used in your logo as your logo represents as form of artwork. Multiple fonts can lead to a feeling that your site is disjointed. A single font logo represents as form of artwork. Multiple fonts can lead to a feeling that your site is disjointed. A single font creates a smooth flow throughout your site.
Browse Your Competition
Take some time and see what your competition is doing with their site. How did they organise their pages? Don’t copy their site, but do browse them and other site to get ideas. Mobile Version Creating a mobile version of your site is a near necessity. The number of mobile users has increased by millions since the inception of smart phone a few years ago. It is predicted that mobile use will be the primary use of web browsing by 2015.
Easy to Read
Make it easy to read and scan your site. Using heading tags (h1, h2, etc) and bolding can make it easy for visitors to quickly find what they are after. Add links to other site if you are referencing their material or information. Do not overload your visitors with too much information and don’t underdo it. Look for that just right balance.
Optimize Images
Use optimized images and resize the images you use to the image size you are displaying. If the image size is 3000 x 2000 px and you are displaying it as a thumbnail, resize it. Using the original image size will dramatically increase your site’s page load time and therefore, creating a poor visitor experience.
Video and Music
Auto starting background music is highly considered to be annoying. Don’t do it. If you have music you want to offer, let the visitor start the player. The dame holds true for videos. Put your visitors in control of the activity on your site.
Flash
Try to avoid Flash, it does not translate well to mobile users. The number of mobile users has increased by millions since the inception of smart phone a few years ago. It is predicted that mobile use will be the primary use of web browsing by 2015 (yes, I repeated myself). No Flash.
Cross Browser
Ensure that your site will run in all the major browsers. Clink here find out about current browser statistics from W3Schools.
CSS Sprites
A CSS Sprite is a single graphic that contains multiple images and you can display a piece of that graphic as an image. Using CSS Sprites is a technique that will reduce the number of HTTP requests that your site makes and therefore, increasing the page’s load time. Chris Coyer as CSS Tricks has written a very good article about CSS Sprites. Click here to read this article.
Use Valid Markup
Once you have completed your site, validate your markup (code). W3C has a nice Markup Validation Service. Work through their recommendations to do the best you can.
Animated Graphics
Animated Graphics are really cool – for about 8 seconds, and then they are typically very annoying. Animation on websites definitively has its place, just be very careful that the animation enhances your site, not destroy it.
Organization
Be sure that your group your pages into very clear categories for your menu. Do not overwhelm your visitors with too many menu items either. If you have 100 pages, do not have 100 categories. Put like things in like baskets. Make your site’s navigation easy and logical
Test, Test and Re-Test
Test your site with friends and family. Simply give them the URL of your site and ask for their brutally honest opinion. You should not have to instruct them to do anything specific. Website need to be intuitive. I doubt you want to write an instruction manual for your site and I know users will not read it, they will simply leave.
We hope that you find this article useful. Some of this may seem like common sense, but if that were the case, people would stop doing these things but we see it all the time.
Thank You,
ADfx Group
local website design company, specializing in local businesses
