Website design has become a demanding field that requires knowledge and experience. Staying on top of the latest programming and design trends has never been more important. For those of you who enjoy website design but are looking on ways to improve your skills, here are a few tips on what you can do to become a better web designer.

Keep it simple

There are so many websites out there that are cluttered and have too much going on. Do not try to over due it with the website features.  Keep it simple and try and stay away from flashing and moving images, as this can be very distracting to a user. Incorporating too many elements in your website design can make the site look cheap and the user may not take your company seriously. Some of the best websites have simple designs. Incorporate white space and focus on what is important.  A good thing to remember is, if the feature does not add value to the site, do not include it.

Keep it consistent

Make sure that your site has a consistent look/feel throughout.  You do not want to confuse your users by changing the look or the navigation throughout the site. Consistency provides a better user experience.  The user should not have to spend a lot of time trying to figure out the navigation, or why the look dramatically changed when they went to a different page.

Design for the user

The website should be designed for the users who will be visiting it.  Think about the age group and the demographic target you are trying to reach. Provide the user with valuable content so that will entice them to come back.  Website designs are most effective when they are designed for the user and not just because it looks cool.

Test your website

Keep in mind that not everyone uses the same browsers when they are searching the web. Test your website on multiple browsers to make sure everything is working properly and looks consistent on all browsers. Test is often to make sure there are no broken links. It can be frustrating for users if there are broken links on your site.

Include a sitemap

A sitemap represents of the structure of your site. It shows the pages that you have on your website that are accessible to your users. Having a sitemap for your website can help improve your website navigation and allow better visibility by search engines.

Designing a website can be difficult, but hopefully, these few tips will help you on your next website project.