There are certain basics of website design that anyone with a website will need to know about. These website design basics will help you create a website that is both user-friendly and search engine friendly. The closer you stick to the basics, the more welcoming your website is going to be.
The Website Graphics
One of the first basics of website design is to choose your graphics carefully. You should have images which are optimised for the website. This means that they need to be large enough for people to see and understand while being small enough to load quickly. If your images are too large, your page will slow down and this will affect the user experience as well as your search engine rankings.
The graphics that you use should also fit the content that you have. There is no point in having a picture of an adorable puppy if it does not link to the content of the website at all. It is also important that you use animated images sparingly as many people find them annoying and distracting.
Stick To Basic Layouts
While you want to be unique and stand out, you should still stick to basic layouts. Six to eight frames on your website will be too much and scrolling to the side instead of up and down will confuse your users. While these layouts might seem like fun, they will actually harm the usability of the website which lowers the user experience.
You also need to be aware of the white spaces on your website and the effect that this has on your content. Using the white space correctly is as important on a website as it is on a piece of paper. White spaces play a large role in how the eye is drawn to different elements on the website and you have to consider this.
The Fonts
You should look at using serif fonts for the headlines and sans serif font for the text. This is the opposite of print media, but sans-serif font is actually easier for people to read online. This will make your website easier to use and will ensure that the text does not hurt the reader’s eyes.
You should also stick to a dark font on a light background. This mimics print media and is easier for people to read. Light text on a dark background will hurt the eyes after a while and cause people to leave your website.