Getting Started On Web Design

Many people out there think that web design is really hard. After all, there are thousands of programs out there to create web pages and millions of people going to expensive colleges every year just to learn all about web sites! However, things are not nearly as hard as you would think.

Before you start working on the pretty part of the site, you need to work on your site’s content. After all, people are going to want to visit your page for more than just pretty pictures! Grab a sheet of paper and make a list of the main areas that you think others will want to visit. “About me”, “home”, and “links” are usually good pages to get your started.

The next step is organizing your web page. If similar things are on your list they can go on the same page. For example, a webring banner and your links can go on the same page. Try not to have too many pages on your web site as people do not like to sift through 20 different pages for information. Keep it simple.

Once you have all your information narrowed down to a few nice pages, it’s time to design your layout. The three keys are visibility, ease of use, and compatibility. If you have those three things down, your site will be great.

Visibility means that your page is easy to read. Choose two contrasting complimentary colors for your pages. It is important to make sure the colors are very different in shades to make it easy to read. Usually light text on a dark background or dark text on a light background works the best. Also avoid using background images as it makes reading difficult.

People like it when a web page is easy to navigate so ease of use is important. All the important pain pages should be listed on a nice, clear menu that is featured in the same place on every single page. If you have any subpages linked off your main pages, a site map link added to the footer of each page is also a good idea.

The final thing to think about is compatibility. Your web page should be able to work on any browser and not require any sort of special software to run. This means that silverlight and flash are both poor choices for the web site as they don’t work on every browser and every operating system and can cause lag or even crashing when they do work. W3C compliant code is a good idea to have to make sure your site will work well.

As you can see, web design is not as scary as it sounds. With a little planning and care taken towards visibility, ease of use, and compatibility your web site will be just fine. Do not be afraid to try to go out there and make your site yourself, there is plenty of help out there if you get “stuck”. Have fun with your web page, the world is waiting to hear from you!

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