Be A Better Web Designer With This Advice
Monday, June 4th, 2012It can be scary and exciting to create your own website. It’s difficult to know where and how to start, who to speak to for advice and how much of a budget you’ll need. Use the following advice as a foundation for all your future web design efforts.
When you are seeking a hosting service to put your website on, do your research and be 100% sure of what is included within the cost. You should understand the issues relating to bandwidth, CPU usage, disk space and other aspects. Find out exactly what you are paying for.
If you are looking for a good domain name, but find that most are already in use, visit an auction website and shop for old domain names. There will be great domain names that were sold, abandoned, or ready for purchasing.
Think like you’re an artist when designing websites. This means you should open your mind to new ideas. If you’re eating some sushi and think of something cool to put on your website, grab your iPad and record the idea. If that great and inspiring thought comes your way while you’re on the job, send yourself an email so you can act on the idea at a later time.
Confirm with your web host that video-hosting is acceptable if that is a feature you want on your site. Some hosts do not permit videos to be hosted on their servers. The files (FLV) take up a great deal of space on servers, so do not waste your time and efforts including them on your site; learn the rules beforehand.
Put together a few checklists and cheat sheets for each new task you learn, so you can do it again without committing the same mistakes. You can revisit them as necessary for solutions to problems or inspiration for your design.
Designing and running a website calls for a personal office space. Eliminate distractions and maximize efficiency of the work space, so you are always ready to work. Make sure your work area contains all the tools you need and make them easily accessible.
Avoid using Flash applications when designing your website. Flash may seem high-tech and splashy, but it might cause a visitor’s computer to load slowly and lag. Also, keep in mind that there are mobile phones and tablet PC’s which are not flash enabled, and if your visitor goes to your site it will not be a fun experience.
Consider using free software to design you website. Some people assume that spending hundreds of dollars on a software program is an absolute must. However, there are dozens of programs that offer comparable results for less money. A simple search is easy to do, and it produces a way for you to determine which free software and tools are best suited to your needs.
From the suggestions outlined in the above article, you should now be all set to tackle the design of your web site. Develop a budget, get some good advice, and start drawing up your plans. You are now able to design a website that will fit all your criteria, and you won’t have to spend a fortune doing it.
