Tips to Improve Your Website

Everybody seems to have a website these days. However, many individuals still don't understand how to make a well developed site. In this article, I will cite eleven ways that you can improve your website.

First, keep your use of fonts to a minimal. Two or three fonts is plenty for your website. If you use too many fonts, your website will feel too chaotic.

Secondly, make sure you have a good color scheme. A poor color scheme will ensure that your site visitors never want to return. Again, like fonts, make sure you only use two or three colors. Too many colors will make your website confusing or just tiresome to look at.

A third way to improve your website is to make sure that your website code is clean. If you have glitches in your code then your pages may not load correctly, or worse they may not load at all. Take your time, and do it properly.

Fourth, make sure your file size is low. If your site is graphically intensive, make sure that your photos and graphics are optimized as much as possible. This will ensure that your site loads quickly, and that your site visitors will keep coming back for more.

Granted, high speed Internet connections have made it so you don't have to worry so much about the file size. But remember, there are still people on slow Internet connections. Take pity on these unfortunate souls and make your website friendly for them, as well as others.

Fifth, make sure you test your site in various browsers and operating systems. Just because your website looks great in Internet Explorer doesn't mean that it's going to look that way in Firefox. Your website may also look differently on a Mac than on a PC.

Six, pick a theme. What is your site about? Does your choice of fonts, colors, and graphics highlight and strengthen your theme? For instance, if you're a photographer, you might choose to have a photo of your work on your main page. The colors and fonts would then take on the aspects of the photo. So if your photo is of a white flower, then you might want the website to have a white background, the text might match the color of the flower stem; etc.

Seven, make sure your navigation is easy to understand and consistent. If your navigation is confusing, people might become aggravated with your site and go elsewhere.

Eight, be certain that you utilize Flash correctly. Don't make your Flash animation annoying because, again, people will probably become frustrated and leave. Also, if you choose to make your site completely in Flash, then make sure the loading time is quick and that your file size is low.

Make sure you create an HTML start page that informs people that your site runs exclusively with Flash, and a link to the Flash plugin. You can also use Javascript to check and see if the user has the Flash plugin, and automatically update their computer if the user doesn't have it. If you elect to use the Javascript option, then you will not need to create an HTML start page. People will just automatically be taken to the Flash page.

Nine, test your site. Use between ten to twenty people for this process. Simply tell your friends or family members about your site, and have them test it. Thanks to the power of the Internet, you can also ask people on forums to test your site as well. Take their advice to heart and try not to take the critique personally. If enough people say something is bad, then it probably is.

Ten, pick a web hosting company that is reliable. You don't want your website to mysteriously disappear at random intervals throughout the day. Nobody will want to visit a site that randomly vanishes.

Finally, make sure your domain name is easy to remember and that it relates to your site's theme. For example, if your website is all about the history of Star Trek, you could use the domain name Enterprise.com or something similar. I wonder if Spock.com is taken.

In conclusion, if you're going to create a website, make sure that it is well developed. These eleven tips that I have provided you with should help you enhance your site, and keep your visitors coming back for more. Good luck!