In order to understand web design industry, you must be willing to think and look beyond the outward feel of the website. There is more to than meets the eye. “Behind the scenes” goes a lot of effort and sleepless nights that we as visitors enjoy exploring, surfing and researching.
What are they? Without further ado let us find out:
Know that browsers render each website differently
If you were to access a particular website from your Google Chrome browser, you will see that it appears differently than when the same is viewed from an Android phone’s browser such UC or Dolphin (popular with most smartphone users). Heck, even the Chrome version of mobile will show it differently than that exhibited on desktop.
For all the technically equipped personnel out there, the terms parsing and rendering wouldn’t be alien. However, for those who are only beginning to grasp the wonders of web design, let us break it down for you. Parsing and rendering simply mean that there is a certain manner in which web browsers translate codes.
Web browsers interpret code in a specific order and on other occasions it won’t even recognize the code at all. Now if this is beginning to interest you, you can search online how each browser parses code and in turn, renders it on the screen that all we see or interact with.
For newbie developers, it can get extremely tricky since they have to come up with a website that will cater to every browser’s rendering ability. For those who specialize in the HTML and CSS languages can easily figure out a way how to address the said nuisance. They run browser compatibility testing before going live with their website.
These compatibility runs usually reveal any bugs or limitations that the site may be facing. Hence, the necessary fix for a given issue can be identified and subsequently applied.
A great design will drive your visitor’s will focus
Well, this calls for thorough research as to where the visitor will focus when he is engaging with your website but don’t worry we have already taken care of such research. We are not here to tell you to go and undertake the research, will be only sharing info with you.
Nielsen Norman Group’s survey suggests that the website that packs clear and scannable layout are more likely to witness user engagement for increased period of time. I ask you if you were to visit a website with the intention of finding something there and are unable to do so quickly, what taste it will leave in your mouth, pretty bad right?
Thus, the focus of web designers should be and is on developing websites that will have the visitor directed towards important aspects of the website where they are likely to find information they seek such as your company’s blog or your online store etc.
Development phase also includes the use of heat maps and analytical tools in the background by means of which designers know which areas of the site were visited the most so they can work on optimizing those areas for enhanced user experience (UX).
Even a 2-year old website is too old
The technology is an evolving phenomenon and designers have to keep up or they will go obsolete. A good designer knows this and will always be proactive in his approach towards website designing. The browsers and devices on which websites are accessed are in constant state of change, the way the website development is carried out should also change.
In order to remain relevant and current in the digital age, web designers stay on top of their game by learning latest in coding standards, browser compatibility updates and search engine algorithms. If not then the website becomes outdated and entails the risk of not getting noticed or even showing up in search results.
That can be a huge blow for a business that has an online presence. If the website is old you will face display issues in the browser, formatting problems, and again, not showing up in search results. Therefore, even a two-year-old website is as good as a decade old website if not updated on a regular basis.
Don’t rely on templates
Almost anything you want to do online, you will have countless templates available at your disposal. Although, it offers an easy and a quick fix, however, when it comes to designing websites templates are a no-no. It is because if you are employing a template then that means you don’t require any prior coding knowledge.
This puts a cap on what you can do with the design. Given, it is a template, you cannot edit or customize for any of your needs. Also, it is not difficult to identify a template. Any user with a meticulous eye can spot a template when they visit your website as templates are packed with bloated codes. Many of the design elements will unwanted there.
So when you can customize design elements therein, is there a point in resorting to templates? If an area needs improvement, with the template in place, you can hardly do anything to improve UX. Consequently, your website will be pushed into a corner and your web presence lost.
Code your website to capitalize on SERPs
You can have the most visually stunning website in the world but if you have no users visiting your website, all that show is in vain. As outlined in the point above, if your site is not well coded it will not show up in search engine result pages (SERPs).
If it is not being shown in SERPs then that means your audience cannot find it. Thus, web professionals have this task to code your website so that it can be located upon users searching for a specific keyword(s) or phrase when they type into Google or any other search engine.
Search engines are responsible for bringing traffic to your website and best coding practices should be followed in order to leverage this forum to its maximum.
Author Bio: Alice is a digital marketer. You can ask for favor with Assignment Help by pro-academic.co.uk and he can be contacted via his Twitter handle.