Many people are using the Internet to start a home business. But an effective website plays a huge part of an online business. Keep reading to ensure your business is more successful.

When designing webpages it is important that you use the correct graphics. BMP files are large and can slow down a website. For simple text buttons or graphics that aren’t photographs, use PNG for files that are 256 colors or larger. Use a GIF file for anything less than 256. JPEGs are good to use for photographs.

Before going live, test your website against NoScript. This is a Firefox extension you can download, and it will check your site’s readability. Certain content cannot be read unless scripts are present. A blank site without scripts can create big problems.

Speed is king when it comes to webpages, so be sure that your images are loading quickly. If a site visitor ends up waiting for a long time for your web page to load, they will definitely leave your site in search of a similar site that loads faster and will never recommend anyone to your site.

Make sure your visitors can search for content on your website. If visitors are searching for something specific, they should be able to use a search box. If this option is unavailable, they may leave the site for one that allows a search. Make sure the box is on the right at the tip of the page, which is where most visitors will look first.

Do not use pop-ups. Nothing is worse that going to a website and being bombarded with pop-up ads. It is not unusual for some people to refuse to stay on a website, and not return either, if it contains pop-up ads. It’s best to stay away from this type of ad to keep your visitors happy. If your host tries forcing pop-ups on you, look for another one.

Make use of keyword research. You need to focus on giving your audience good information, but keywords will help you gain a customer base. If you want your site to be successful, you must understand how to use keywords properly.

You can create a site using free software. Some people assume that spending hundreds of dollars on a software program is an absolute must. However, there are dozens of programs that offer comparable results for less money. You just have to search a little to locate the free tools that best suit you.

Broken Links

Perform a thorough error check of your site, including checking for broken links. The best time to do this is just before you FTP the page over to the server. If your visitors cannot access the information they need because of broken links, they will get frustrated and leave. If you wish to prevent this from happening, you should regularly check your links.

Don’t ever place pop-ups on websites. PPC ads are often necessary, but pop-up ads just tick visitors off. People won’t want to visit your website again. Your ads should be simple, direct and engaging, without pop-ups.

Most hosts provide design tools that make building a simple site easy, but these tools will not cover you when you want more advanced features. If you stick with the plug-and-play site creator given to you by your host, your website is never going reflect your unique personality the way it should.

Adobe Dreamweaver is a great program to try if you need to create a website. Amateurs are even able to use this program effectively. It is loaded with options that allow for template creation, special features and the ability to preview a site as well as test it before it goes live.

Sign up for newsletters that can help you learn about web design techniques periodically. There are many newsletters that will provide good information and tips for both beginners and seasoned web designers!

Make judicious use of graphics to give your site eye appeal. Keep your site from looking bland by wrapping words around images. Your visitors will stay longer and return more often if your content has visual appeal.

Take care to differentiate your website design from others in the same genre as you. Check out your competitors’ websites. Remember that if your website is too similar to that of one of your competitors, you will not seem unique, and you might even accidentally send business to your competitor. It will only serve to make you a diluted version of what someone else has already done.

Web design can be very simple and not confusing. Some techniques are tricky, but others are quite simple. No matter what is compelling you to learn about webdesign, you are in the right place.