Web Design Basics
Before you learn code or start using software to make your website there are some basic fundamental things you should know about web page design.
Simple Web Pages Are Good Web Pages
As tempting as it may be to cram as many cool features and flare into your web pages, the fact is when you are designing a web page you need to try and keep it simple.
Simple is good because it makes your site more user-friendly. The easier it is for your users to navigate through the pages and find things on any given page the more likely they are to stay on your site.
Simple and streamlined are two keywords you should keep in mind when designing your web page. Everything should flow easily and be seamless. The pages should be as straight forward and simple as possible.
This doesn't mean you can't do cool things and add interesting features and flare to your site; just keep it minimal. Simple sites are almost always aesthetically pleasing and fairly professional-looking, whereas many that are packed full of flare and features seem amateur and are not user-friendly.
As far as navigation goes, there should be a menu to every main section of your web site on every single page. Don't make people go back to a "home page" every time they want to navigate to a different section.
Additionally, keeping it simple will make it much easier for you to maintain. It's a win-win situation, really.
Keep it simple, and you really can't lose.
Design Your Web Pages To Load Quickly
Along with being simple, the size of the files used on your pages should be reasonably small. If a web page has large, high quality pictures on it and lots of random features and flare, it will take so long to load for some people that they'll leave. Don't leave your potential customers with slower internet connections or less patience in the dust; they may be money walking out the door.
Pictures and other "cool" features definitely add to the ambiance and professionalism of a web site, (used wisely, of course), but they must be used sparingly. Don't overload your site with things of this nature or you'll overwhelm not only your visitor's bandwidth but the visitors themselves, too.
Design Your Web Site To Be Unique
The world wide web is so jam-packed full of web sites that if you want to succeed you need to find some way to stand out from the crowd. This may not be as hard as you think. It could be something as small as a unique logo or slogan, perhaps an interesting photograph you took yourself, a different lay out for your site, or anything else you can think of.
