Web Design Tips Part 3

Poorly designed web pages are the bane of the World Wide Web. Before even attempting to upload a page onto a website, precautions must be made for it to flow smoothly and have all of the graphics working and content ready. In addition to un-optimization, there is the whole concept of pages that are too long.

The ideal aim for every webmaster is to get one page into one screen's worth of space. The maximum size of a sole webpage should take up two screens tops. That is about equal to a standard size sheet of printer paper. If your website has tons of content and this is hard to avoid, make sure there are plenty of navigation options available (i.e. automatic scroll down, links at top) to adventure through easily.

Even the most eye-catching web pages can fall victim by poor navigation, which can result in a lost island-type feel where you're asking "where in the world am I?" Even worse is the fact web browsers might not find the information they want quickly. To design a website for easy site navigation, take these tips into consideration:

• Divide your website into different categories and add some subcategories. Add some links at the top that will automatically scroll down to the beginning of an important paragraph or section.
• All navigation options should be crystal clear at the top of the screen. In addition, it should highlight all of the recently updated sections and popular areas.
• Site maps are excellent for websites that are pretty deep. It simply consists of a text page with links to each page on your website.
• Navigation options should be displayed clearly at every point the user is at on a webpage.

Without the bells and whistles of navigation options and regard to layout psychology on your website, it will only receive negative feedback. Pages that are too long, don't conform to optimization guidelines (making sure all links and graphics are working; fast downloads of every aspect of the page), you're in for a heap of trouble. Exercise the following guidelines and establish a website any browser would love to sift through.