There are a million and one different reasons why a person might find themselves building a website, and they all require a certain set of skills in the end. Designing a website isn’t as simple as choosing the most interesting template and filling in the blanks.
You could choose to build your website from a prefab template, but good luck drawing any traffic to your generic creation. Website design is about knowing what web users need. It’s also about knowing what the Google search algorithm needs.
Start educating yourself today, and read through a few design tips for the dabbling web builder.
Conquering the coding side of things
You won’t just know the various different coding techniques used to build an attractive website. Coding may be the more tedious side of web design, but it is also an entirely necessary piece of the puzzle.
Use the “internet of things” to gather together all the different pieces of knowledge you will need to learn the language of coding. Learn the ins and outs of WordPress or some other designing platform, and make sure to take notes along the way.
Integrate social media sharing
You’ll be hard pressed to find a website today that doesn’t have social media sharing icons worked into the design. That is because millions of people frequent the pages of these communication platforms on a daily basis.
Working social media into your website design should just be a “given.” Add the recognizable icons in places where visitors will most likely need them. Your homepage, your blog posts, and within the confines of your communication page are all good places to add sharing buttons.
Enrich your content with SEO
Familiarize yourself with everything that is SEO. Search engine optimization is the key to placing your digital content in front of faces that want to see what you have to offer. You want to draw a certain type of web user to your pages, depending on the purpose of your site.
When you use keywords and phrases that clearly define your purpose, it makes it easier for the search engines to recognize your creation as useful when someone searches like terms. Claim your spot in the coveted SERPs (search engine page results), and invest in proper SEO tactics as you build your website.
Cater to your mobile audience
Mobile web users are the majority online, so your website won’t do you much good without being optimized for mobile access. You don’t want users to have to pinch and swipe all over their screens to be able to manipulate the various interactive elements of your design.
Start by adding media queries to your design coding, and learn more about how to better equip your website to handle mobile traffic.