Web design la

Web Design for Beginners

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Web Design in Lafayette, LA begins with the most important question: What is the website for, and who is your audience? The appearance, content and usability of the site must all combine for the common purpose of enhancing these aspects. If your website is to showcase a law firm, your audience is not going to relate to animations and music that take forever to load, and a Comic Sans font. Unless you are an entertainment site, dont try to provide entertainment. Visitors to a particular site tend to be task oriented if someone is coming to a site in search of specific information, they want to be able to access what they need easily and quickly. Remember, tourists dont visit Lafayette, LA to see the Empire State Building, or the Vegas Strip. You want your website to meet and exceed your audiences expectations, not confuse and bewilder them.

Clean layout and quick loading times should be a priority. A page that is too busy is distracting you dont want to distract your audience, you want to engage them. Research shows that if a site takes too long to load, visitors will leave without bothering to return. Aim for a loading time of less than 15 seconds. Its no use having a spectacular Web Design in Lafayette, LA if no-one is going to wait around long enough to see it. Unless you are a graphic design, or art site, keep graphics relevant and to a minimum. Something else to consider is font size and type you want to text to be readable, and easy on the eye. Dont use image backgrounds look at the largest, most used sites on the web Google, Amazon, E-bay their layout is clean and simple, they never use background images. There is a reason for that it works.

Dont overlook navigation maintain a site map, so that users can find what they are looking for easily. Make sure links are clear, and that they work. You may want to add more pages to your site in the future, so keep your navigation flexible. Use drop-down menus, and keep your main links together, so that your visitors can easily familiarize themselves with your site and find their way around it. If you are visiting Lafayette, LA you want to be able to follow a map, and end up at the right place! Web sites are the same when you click on a link, you want a clear idea of where you are going, and why.

Browser compatibility is an important component of good Web Design in Lafayette, LA. A site which displays perfectly on Internet Explorer, does not necessarily do so on Firefox, Safari, Netscape Navigator or Opera. In fact, unless you have specifically taken this aspect into account, chances are your site will not display correctly on other browsers. The browsers mentioned account for 95% of browsers used. The web is a competitive environment you cannot afford to alienate potential visitors by presenting a site which is not compatible with their favorite browser.

Content should be well-written, short and clear long rambling paragraphs put people off. Start with a short and snappy paragraph and use a read more link for lengthier explanations if needed, so that your visitor isnt overwhelmed. Grammar and spelling mistakes are a no-no they instantly give your site a sloppy and unprofessional tone. Keep the writing style relevant to your audience, and maintain a consistent tone and image on all your pages. Use graphics to break up large areas of text if necessary.

Make sure that your content provides value to your visitor, and put thought into addressing all your visitors potential needs. Think of your site as being an ideal destination, and your web design in Lafayette, LA will flow naturally. A visitor to Lafayette, LA wants to enjoy the history, the fabulous Creole and Cajun cuisine, the beautiful buildings. What does a visitor to your site want?