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Top 10 Web Design MistakesLisa Irby As a webmaster, you want to keep your visitors content so they’ll come back again. Below you will find ten common mistakes made by webmasters that may deter people from returning. 1 Poor Color Choice Theres one important thing to keep in mind when designing your web site, and that is always keep it simple. More is not necessarily better. Your web site should contain no more than three colors. Also remember that your body text should be a contrasting color from your background. Theres nothing worse than trying to read yellow text on a pink background. It may look cool to you, but cause your visitors to go cross-eyed. 2 Confusing Navigation If your visitors cannot find their way around your web site, theyll leave...plain and simple. Your navigation should be logical and consistent on every page. Studies have also shown that web surfers prefer the standard left or right side navigation over other layouts. 3 Inconsistent Font Face and Size Just like your navigation, youll want your font style and size to be consistent. If your home page text is in Arial font, size 10, make sure the rest of your pages adhere to the same font style and size. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and you may need to use a smaller font for disclaimers, terms and conditions, etc. However, in most cases, you should use the same style on every page. 4 Long Paragraphs This is a common mistake made by many webmasters. To make your web pages easy to read, remember to break up your paragraphs often and use subtitles. Most people will skim when trying to find what theyre looking for so when your paragraphs are small and separated by logical headings, it will make it much easier on your visitors eyes. 5 Misplaced or Lack of Contact Info Dont make people search for contact information...especially if youre selling goods and services. Always have your contact information visible on every page of your web site. Hidden contact information looks fishy and makes people leery of doing business with you. 6 Long Page Loads If your web site does not fully load within 10 seconds, your HTML files are too large. Check your graphics. Are you using too many Do they need to be resized Make sure your multi-color graphics photos are saved in JPEG format and use GIF files for solid colors and poster art. Also remember to use table height and width tags in your HTML code because your text will load before the images. Animated graphics also slow the page loading time tremendously. 7 No Meta Tag Info Meta tags are HTML code invisible to the human eye but read by many of the search engines. While these dont have as much of an impact as they used to, many search engines still rely on this information when displaying your site in the search results. 8 Use of Frames Frames can become somewhat of a burden. Many search engines do not list pages with frames, they dont allow visitors to bookmark certain pages, and they can cause printing problems. 9 Scrolling Text The marquee tag is a cool feature, but many overuse it. Although the idea of scrolling text may seem appealing, remember that not everyone will find this idea entertaining. If you do decide to use it, make sure you clearly evaluate whether or not it is adding value or enhancing your page. There are some instances where this feature works, but there are many where it doesnt. Use it very sparingly. If you have a sentence or two that you feel is very important to your readers, dont make them wait eons for the message to scroll across your screen -- just use plain text and save the scrolling text for the less significant messages or perhaps sub-titles. 10 Wrong Resolution The average web surfer surfs with their PC screen set to an 800 x 600 resolution. If you create your web pages to fit a 1024 x 768 resolution or higher, keep in mind many people will have to scroll left and right to see your entire page. I dont know about you, but I find that quite annoying. If you want your web page to be displayed correctly in all resolutions, create your web pages with tables and use percentages to define your table widths instead of actual pixel values. For example, if the table width is set to 100% instead of "800" then it will take up 100% of the screen no matter what the PC resolution is set to.
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Linking out is good Many websites I come across dont have a single link to another website. Ask the webmaster why not, and the answer you get is simple enough: "If I link to other websites people might leave my site." At this point I break the news that site visitors will leave your site. And theres nothing you can do about this. Web usability: The basics What is web usability & why is it important Advantages for Using FrontPage... maybe this HTML editor has some hidden advantages Ever since Ive been doing SEO work, Ive always griped and complained about FrontPage and all the extraneous code it puts in thesection of the page, etc. Web Hosting Basics So youre about to embark on your first web project and youre wondering where on earth to start Well, one of the first things youll need is a web hosting package. There are so many out there it can seem daunting to try and choose one. In this article well teach you the basics to help you make an informed decision. Absolute & Relative Links How Do They Rank The question for this article is whether or not you should use "absolute urls" or "relative urls" Not only that, this article researches whether or not Google ranks these methods differently. Bulk Email, Spam, and Email Marketing Excerpted from PlanetLinks Enews - an email newsletter delivered for FREE to your computer. To subscribe, go to www.planetlink.com 50 Surefire Web Design Tips Tips to brand your websiteInclude your logo in all pages. Position it at the top left or each page.Complement your logo with a tagline or catchy sentence that summarizes your business purpose. For example "Always low prices" is the tagline for Wal-Mart.Create a favicon. A favicon is that small graphic that appears next to the URL in the address bar.Have a consistent look and feel in all your pages. Use a color scheme and layout that are clearly recognized across your site.Have an About Us section, that includes all relevant information about you and your business.Include a copyright statement at the bottom of each page. Having Your Personal Portfolio On The Internet Will Help You Infiltrate The Workforce And Get Your Identity ‘Out There’. If you’re an up and coming graphic/web designer just out of university, you’ll know it’s quite hard to break into the workforce. You have to contact employers one by one, spend your time traveling and lugging your portfolio to their offices. Well, things have changed, and for the better let me tell you. Now you can make your own on-line portfolio on the Internet, and send its web page address to numerous design companies at once so they can all see your work easily. You don’t even have to leave your house and organizations all over the world can access your work easily. Top Five Most Profitable Color Combinations Used In Cover Design! "Two days ago, an old man stopped me on the street and asked me who my stylist is. Email tips and tricks Excerpted from the upcoming book The Busy Persons Guide to a Profitable Website and PlanetLinks Enews - an email newsletter delivered for FREE to your computer. To subscribe, go to www.planetlink.com. Using Google AdWords to Increase your Adsense Profits I had been using Googles Adsense program to generate some revenue from my various web sites.Prior to Adsense, I was never previously paid to run these and did so for a hobby.Overall I was pleased with the income I was generating.The only drawback was that I was always looking for ways to get people to my sites.I enjoyed working to bring in more visitors but felt that if I looked at my earnings vs. the hours I worked, the economics werent making sense. How to Create a Useful, Popular Website Everything I tell you will also be free. Youll spend some time, but you wont spend your money. Choosing a Web Host Based On Price Dont! Its tempting.There are so many companies offering cut-rate hosting – loaded with astounding post-futuristic techno-gizmo features ! – that it just makes sense to save a few dollars, right Are You Driving Away Potential Customers When a prospect lands on your website will he or she understand what you are presenting Do your ordering/sign up instructions make sense Can prospects easily find the information they are searching for If you don’t know the answers to these questions you may be driving away potential customers. Graphic Design Using Color Color is everywhere and conveys a message even if we don’t realize it. While this message can vary by culture it pays to know what colors “say” in your own corner of the universe, and even what color means to your target market. Common Website Mistakes Is your website ailing |
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