In the history of the world, few things have been as popular as the internet is today. No matter what your particular tastes or interests are, there's a website out there for you. And if you want to build your own website, the sky is literally the limit as long as you know a few things about web design. Here are some various tips on the topic to help you out.
Optimize your site for older versions of Internet Explorer (IE7 and IE8). Everyone loves to hate Internet Explorer, but the sad fact is that a large minority of internet users still use these old versions of IE. They don't render many elements in compliance with web standards, so workarounds are required. Specifically, read about the "box model bug" that plagued IE for years.
Make sure that you use the right anchor text. The anchor text of a link should clearly describe what the visitor should expect to see when he clicks on the link. For instance, if a link leads to your widget ordering page, the anchor text might read "Order widgets." Specifically avoid using "click here" as anchor text.
Test your site to see if the major translation services work properly when translating your site. Some sites receive many international visitors, and these visitors sometimes use services like BabelFish and Google Translate to translate the text to their language. Certain web design problems, especially poor server side code, can break these services.
When hiring someone to help with your web design needs you should agree to a payment that is broken into three to four payments rather than half of the payment upfront. This will allow you to be sure that you are going to be happy with the web design that you are given and that it will be fixed if you are not satisfied.
Remember this when posting something important on your site: High and far-left. This is how people read, from left to right, so having the most important parts of your site located at the top of your site and on the left will ensure that your visitors see and read this before anything else on your website.
Avoid creating user interface (UI) controls that mislead your visitors. These controls include elements, widgets and more that create an interactive experience, such as a link, drop-down list or button. You do not want to make visitors think that clicking on an underlined word or phrase for example, will lead to a new page if it is not actually linked to something else. When your visitors have expectations of something working a certain way and it does not, they are more likely to assume there is something wrong with your site and leave.
Build your own website and leave your personal mark on the world is made easy as long as you can grasp the basics of web design. The more skilled you become as a designer, the better your site will look. Make sure you use the tips you've read here when you're ready to design a great site.
