Google has a clean website design which is unrivaled in it's simplicity. Other sites go for a complicated layout to create an air of excitement.
No matter which type of feeling you're going for, you need to know the basics of web design to create a site which works. Read this article in its entirety to find tips to help you achieve your goals.
Creating a visual site map for your website is important. Knowing what you'll have on each page allows you to prepare ahead of time and to know what direction your site will take.
One thing that every web designer should understand is that it is never a good idea to store unencrypted passwords from the sites users. Saving passwords as simple text documents is a recipe for disaster so make sure that any passwords you plan on storing are encrypted so as to avoid and future problems.
Try having a clear and consistent layout in the design of your sites. Clean layouts that make use of a lot of white space tend to enhance the site's readability and overall look. The layout must be focused on the content. Try using fonts that are on every computer in order to avoid having your site appear incorrectly.
If you are hiring a web design company to create a web page for your company, you need to ask them for references. If the company does not have any references for you to contact you should avoid doing business with them because they more than likely do not have the experience that is needed to create a quality web page.
To keep your website looking professional check your content religiously for spelling and grammar errors. Some users may not notice the misspelled words but there are many users who will. If it looks like you didn't take the time to proofread your content, your website will not inspire the confidence that is so important to your credibility.
Understand how your webpage will be read at a glance, rather than word for word. Most viewers won't spend their time gathering every piece of written content on a page; at least not until after they've scanned it. Words that are larger, bold, or emphasized should be the most important and placed sparingly to get your ideas across.
Make sure that the font that you are using is readable and professional. It is imperative that you present your site in a skilled manner to remain credible. Using brightly-colored print or Comic Sans font is not going to make your visitors take you seriously and put their faith in the fact that you know what you are talking about.
Don't spend so much time designing the technical features of your website that you forget about the content of the website. Be sure to take the time to write quality content, or have good content written. You want site visitors to keep visiting your site, and that will only happen if you provide them a good experience not only visually and technically, but mentally as well.
Whether you're going for a site with a minimal look or something which is jazzy and bright, the information you've read here will lead you down the right path.
Get busy putting these tips into practice and get your website up as soon as possible, then build your traffic and enjoy your results!