If you’re new to web design, you probably already know that you’ve got a lot to learn. It’s important not to allow yourself to be overwhelmed by all the “how-to†tutorial articles available online. When you’re eating a pizza, you have to eat it one piece at a time.
Learning about web design is easier when you break it down into pieces, and digest the information slowly. Here is a quick overview of a few foundational design aspects that will make your website more effective.
Communication is super important
Communication is not only vital to your success in life, it is vital to your digital success as well. You have to find a way to include several different attempts to make contact with web users, and really listen to what they have to say about your site.
The best constructive information comes from the people who use your website. Create a “Contact Us†page (like this example shows) that offers more than one opportunity to communicate. Include phone numbers, addresses, and an easy to use contact form to make your page more functional.
Link your content to social media
Linking your website’s content to the vast outlet of social media is helpful for boosting your website’s visibility online. Provide social media sharing buttons in pivotal positions across your website’s design.
Your blog section is a great place to add social media share buttons. You may also want to add them to your website’s homepage, so visitors who are enamored can quickly share their interests.
Optimize your design for mobile use
Mobile access to the internet is exploding, and web users are using their PCs and laptops less and less. Mobile devices have much smaller screens than the typical PC or laptop, so you have to set your design up to display correctly.
Integrate the use of media queries in your website’s code, and you’ll be optimized in no time. Media queries give your design the ability to read the size of the screen currently viewing the content, and reshape the page to fit the boundaries of the mobile screen.
Create simple navigation
Uncomplicated navigation options are vital to the success of your design. If users cannot figure out how to get around your content, they will quickly lose interest in exploring the rest of your website.
Traditionally, a stationary navigation bar included in your design is perfect enough for web users. Creativity is great, but make sure your creativity doesn’t get too complicated for users.
Learn all about SEO
Search engine optimization skills will train you to create effective content that will rank among the top results in the SERPs (search engine results pages). Ranking higher in the SERPs means that more users will have the opportunity to explore your design.