Are you frustrated by your website? Are you looking for ways to maximize the responsiveness and look of your web design? Having an online business requires an ability to know some of the tricks to keep your web design up to date while appealing to your mobile customers. You can do everything from videos to podcasts to improve the experience. But the main thing that you need to know is how to make those small tweaks that improve the overall quality of your pages.
10 Web Design Tips from the Experts
You need to keep your rankings in Google high, and that requires following their standards such as readability and mobile responsiveness. Check out these ten tips from expert web designers to figure out how to optimize your web design for the best results.
1. CodeKit for Web Developers– For Mac developers and web designers, Keir Whitaker recommends using CodeKit. It’s a browser reloading feature that allows you to reload your pages quickly to see your changes. Keith is the co-founder of Viewport Industries and an accomplished web developer.
2. Apply Global Changes– Web Developer, Elliott Fienberg suggests using the wildcard CSS rule to speed things up in the early stages of your design. Use an asterisk as the selector to globally apply changes to a specific parameter such as changing all of the fonts on a page. An example of how it might look is: {font-family:arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;}. Putting the asterisk at the beginning of this line of code will change the font on the entire page. Consider this a shortcut method to changing fonts or other assets on your page.
3. Set Garish Outlines– Chris Murphy of Web Standardistas shares a tip about cross-platform design. He says to set outlines in a garish color so that it will work on other platforms. This is a coding tip. He says that using a code line such as {outline:10px solid green/red/yellow/blue;} allows you to see which standards you are applying before making it final.
4. Check your character count– Consider how many characters you are using and stick to 45-75 characters per line for comfortable reading. Trent Walton, founder, and designer of Paravel, recommends this standard as a way to ensure your design remains responsive.
5. Use FitVids for video embedding– Embedding video has become easier due to the ease of use of HTML5 coding. But responsively sizing video for mobile users and some platforms is a problem for web designers and developers. A jQuery plugin that supports Flash when using HTML5 may help, according to some experts in web design.
6. Smushit for Image Size Reduction– The key to a responsive website is to make sure it is optimized. This includes optimization of images for best quality while limiting the loading time to a minimum. Web developer and Microsoft brand advocate, Martin Beeby says that SmushIt is a great option that allows you to reduce the image size.
7. Export images as an 8-bit PNG– Martin Beeby also offers a tip about exporting images with PNG image files. When exporting from Photoshop to PNG format, export it as an 8-bit PNG file. This will create a high-quality image that won’t affect the original image.
8. Increase font sizes– Increasing your font size can help improve your readability and engagement with your readers. Don’t overdo the fonts on your entire page, but consider using an 18-point font where you want to create the most focus on your written content.
9. Use Typecast with Google Fonts– There is a new public version of Typecast that you can access through Google Fonts. It allows you to select any font from Google Fonts website and follow the link to the Typecast app.
It also allows you to work with fonts of any size and a wide range of control to build readable type systems on your site. It also lets you control parameters such as size, weight, and line spacing. Then you can export it as H TML, PNG files, or CSS to share with others.
10. Use a 12-column grid– Rhys Little, a well-known web developer for several different companies and applications, recommends using a grid with columns that are divisible by 2, 3, and 4. A 12-column grid is a popular grid that is both web design-friendly and user-friendly.
How to Apply Web Design Tips to your Page
Many of these web design tips involve the use of code that you have to implement on your site using either HTML, CSS, or other means. If you are not comfortable with inserting code, you can check out other web design tips at Elegantthemes.com or the Web Design Team blog.
Not every change you make to your website has to be a coding change. Many online web design platforms allow you to quickly move graphics, text, and other elements around through a drag-and-drop procedure.
Choosing the right web design platform is an important part of this procedure. You should check out the features of your web host and design platform before joining. Some web servers allow easy editing within the platform while others require you to upload files that you have created offline.
How to Choose a Web Design Firm
If you decide you don’t want to bother with learning to code or how to insert HTML lines within your web code, there is another option. Just look around for a professional web design team that can do it all for you.
At webdesignteam.com, we have the skills to help you improve your website based on years of experience. We can apply our knowledge of engineering, coding, and creative web techniques to bring you the best results possible. Our server is efficient and reliable, and you can make changes anytime with our help.
Contact us to get a free estimate, and we’ll get back with you about your website. Let us put our skills to work for you. Mention any of the tips mentioned in our post, and we’ll be glad to discuss them with you.
Visit us today at webdesignteam.com.