The best way to get a professional looking website is to hire a professional. If you want to do it yourself, the best way is to go to school for four years and major in web design. If neither of those options suit you, here are five more tips that will help you get to the head of the class:
Image via wikipedia.org
Use the Right Font for the Job
Did you know that Comic Sans was not the right font for every job. In fact, many would say it is not the right font for any job. There was a time when it was alright for limited uses. Then, it became somewhat overused, then, totally played, then universally reviled. To use it now would instantly marginalize your efforts.
This is especially true if you used the wrong font for something critical like a logo. In such a case, you have to select fonts that are legible, scalable, and conform to your brand image. Anything less is design suicide.
Clear Your Cache When Editing Your Site
The FatCow blog offers some of the most practical advice for creating your site. It is simple yet profound. When you are making edits to your site, clear your browser’s cache so that you can see your changes. Or to put it in their words:
“When you’re building a website, it can be a pain. For example, you see an error in your draft website while you’re working. You head into your Site Editor of choice and make the correction. Then, you revisit your website to make sure the correction has been made…”
Anyway, the browser loads your website from the cache, probably using a version of the site it saved before you made the change. This means that you’ll still see an uncorrected version of the site. This can be confusing and lead to an exasperated loop of revise-check-revise-check. The answer is to clear that cache.
If you don’t clear your cache, you won’t see your changes. And you will never know how your site really looks to visitors.
Use Professional Templates and Themes
If you want your website to look like it was designed by a professional, use templates and themes that were designed by professionals. The overall look and feel of your site is the first thing visitors will notice. That is the time to make a positive impression. While there are plenty of free themes to go around, it is worth paying a few dollars for a truly professional look and feel. It is the next best thing to hiring your own web designer.
Keep It Simple
Many people confuse professional with complexity. This is a huge mistake. Most of the time, exactly the opposite is true. Amateurs try to make up for their lack of professionalism by adding unnecessary complexity.
Often, amateur writers use sesquipedalian words to mask their lack of skill. Poor artists might use too many colors and shapes to hide the fact that they can’t draw a straight line. Bad web designers throw every Web 2.0 element they can at a website, simultaneously proving their technical prowess, and their lack of design sensibilities.
Romance the White Space
Forget about how much text is on the page. In order for you to be able to read the text, about 85% of the page needs to be nothing but white space. Otherwise, the text becomes cluttered and hard to read. Just check out these page coverage examples to see what it looks like on a printed page.
White space is not just another opportunity to put another element on a page. It is a precious resource that has to be protected. Make your point. Then let the white space make your point stand out.
At the end of the day, will these 5 tips guarantee that you will have a professionally looking website? Well, actually… Yes. So have at it.
from Darlene Milligan http://ift.tt/1KmNGl6 via how to increase website traffic
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/1MGk4OQ
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