Website creation can be tricky. What you are about to learn is an understanding that staying on top of your game is necessary to remain successful, as well as having the drive to do so. Continue reading to learn some simple-to-understand advice about website design.

Easy navigation is critical to keeping visitors on your site. You should have links that are easy to find, as well as displayed well. Simple menus will make navigation easy for your visitors. Make sure that you have links posted to every page of the website. This will allow visitors to easily navigate the site.

Incorporate a search function that lets visitors find what they need. Many people are coming to your site for a reason, and they want a quick and easy way to obtain the information they need. If this option is unavailable, they may leave the site for one that allows a search. Put the search box near the top right side of the page, since that tends to be common.

Avoid using a lot of graphics. Although graphics are necessary make your site project a professional, well-designed and cohesive look, having too many can make it look cluttered. Graphics should always be used to enhance the website, and not for decoration. Having the right amount of graphics that don’t clutter the design can improve the site’s usability, too.

No matter what your website looks like, all the file sizes should be small. This is because the size of the files dictates the speed at which your website loads. You want your site to load instantly. There are still people who will be using your website that do not have a high-speed connection. Test your site to make sure that it loads up quickly, even when accessed on a dial up connection.

Leave off frames if you want to design a well optimized site. The information in the frames won’t show in search engines. The search engine will give your website a lower ranking if it can’t see the great content you are providing. This will lead to a reduction in visitors.

White can be a highly effective color for your background. White backgrounds make copy much more easily readable and give your site a more mature look. Conversely, complex backgrounds distract from your content and make your site seem much less professional. Simple backgrounds are generally better.

Internet Explorer

Be sure your site can handle Internet Explorer, both new and old versions. Many people still use old IE versions. You will have to use workarounds when dealing with this issue, so keep that in mind. Specifically, you should learn about a “box model bug” which troubled Internet Explorer for years.

When you design your website, remember that you do have have to fill up every bit of space. Using every pixel available to you can make the website feel overwhelming or cluttered. Give your users a break by allowing space between different elements on each page. Sometimes, empty space can contribute to the look of a page as nicely as content does.

Do not include a website counter; it just doesn’t look good. You may think it’s improving your site, when in fact, it is not desirable. Eliminate visitor counters, and find other methods of tracking the number of visitors to your site.

In the end, your website design can make or break your website. With any luck, these tips should have provided new or better reinforcement and ideas you can use with your design techniques.