It is important to have a reasonably fast loading web site so that viewers are not made to wait for a long time and to accommodate users on slow internet connections. Search engine algorithms also do take into consideration your load time.
Follow these tips while designing and developing your site:
1. Optimize your HTML code: Make sure that your site doesn't have any unwanted tags and that it is optimized.
2. Effective Table designing: Design using nested tables instead of using cell merges and splits. Use separate tables where ever possible. Not designing for 100% height is better as if you use just one outer table, the web page is displayed only after the table is loaded fully. If many outer tables are present [you can have different tables for the header, content, footer, etc.] the page displays the content of each table as soon as its elements are loaded.
3. Maximize content area: This not only reduces load time, it enhances the readability of your site.
4. Minimize use of graphics, Flash, scripts: These are the major contributors to the size of your web page, so try minimizing them. Try using background colors and fills instead of heavy images.
5. Optimize all heavy files: As much as possible optimize heavy graphics, Flash files and scripts. In editors like fireworks and flash you can see the various options in the preview panel to reduce the sizes. See how popular web sites like google and yahoo have pages that are very small in size and thus load in seconds.
6. Stick to simple designs: Most fast loading sites have very simple designs. Take the hint! Complicated designs will slow down your pages.
Spread out your content: In case you find yourself having very long pages of content, break them down into separate sections and thus bring down the sizes of the individual pages.
7. Use Text Links instead of graphic buttons: basically try to make use of HTML as much as possible. Use CSS Styles for text links to make them as attractive as buttons. Read our CSS Styles tutorial
8. Use Server Side Include (SSI) files where ever possible. SSI files once called from the web server reside in its cache so on subsequent requests they load faster.
9. Using Layers instead of tables is a new concept for better load time. We will be bringing out an article on it soon.
Source : http://www.smartwebby.com/web_site_design/fast_loading_websites.asp
Friday, June 29, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Top Ten Absolutely Free Websites for Downloading Cool Fonts
The following list of websites is the best compilation of sites on the web where you can download many different fonts totally free. Also, there are a variety of different types of fonts and styles you can download from the following sites so start searching today. Keep in mind that these sites are not listed in any particular order.
#1 www.1001freefonts.com/links.htm
Great site because it ranks other font websites in order of popularity as well as having more than 1,000 different fonts to download for free. This website is certainly a great resource if you need a lot of fonts and don’t want to pay for them!
#2 www.acidfonts.com
This is also a great website if you simply want to visit one site and download fonts without having to search multiple websites. At acidfonts.com you will be able to download a variety of different fonts for your PC and even convert the fonts over to your Mac if you want. This website will certainly provide you with the fonts you need for your website and business.
#3 www.1001fonts.com
This website may easily be confused with the first website listed, however it is completely different and also has a great selection for free font downloads. There are fonts available for the PC as well as Macs, so anyone can get the fonts they need from this website for free.
#4 www.coolarchive.com
This website is really cool, as it says in its name, because not only can you download over 1000 fonts completely free, there is also clipart, sounds, icons, applications, bars, bullets, and arrows. Most anything you need to design your website just the way you want is available on this site. If you are not sure how to download and install a font then read the FAQs to find out how.
#5 www.fontfreak.com
This is an amazing website with literally thousands upon thousands of fonts to download and dingbats as well. This is a highly rated website and completely free.
#6 www.downloadfreefonts.com
This is another great website because when you enter you can either choose Mac or PC or the top 20 font websites. From either Mac or PC you will be able to download the fonts you like most or you can visit all of the different top websites to check out the font availability and diversity.
#7 free.sinoa.com/FreeFonts/index.htm?29
Check out the different fonts available and then download the ones you like best or that suit your purposes best all for free!
#8 www.highfonts.com
A wide variety of fonts are available on this website, not to mention over 1001 free fonts to choose from. This site has a lot to offer and directs you to some good free font links as well.
#9 www.abstractfonts.com/fonts/
Great website for free fonts as well as other font related information you might find helpful.
#10 www.freefontsnow.com
This website has fonts for both Mac and PC and is yet another great way to search for fonts as well. You can either search categories to look for particular styles of fonts, or you can search by first letter if you already know the name of your font.
Michael Turner reveals his foolproof way to increase website traffic in his free 7 part mini-series. Grab it free right now at http://www.powertraffictactics.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Turner
#1 www.1001freefonts.com/links.htm
Great site because it ranks other font websites in order of popularity as well as having more than 1,000 different fonts to download for free. This website is certainly a great resource if you need a lot of fonts and don’t want to pay for them!
#2 www.acidfonts.com
This is also a great website if you simply want to visit one site and download fonts without having to search multiple websites. At acidfonts.com you will be able to download a variety of different fonts for your PC and even convert the fonts over to your Mac if you want. This website will certainly provide you with the fonts you need for your website and business.
#3 www.1001fonts.com
This website may easily be confused with the first website listed, however it is completely different and also has a great selection for free font downloads. There are fonts available for the PC as well as Macs, so anyone can get the fonts they need from this website for free.
#4 www.coolarchive.com
This website is really cool, as it says in its name, because not only can you download over 1000 fonts completely free, there is also clipart, sounds, icons, applications, bars, bullets, and arrows. Most anything you need to design your website just the way you want is available on this site. If you are not sure how to download and install a font then read the FAQs to find out how.
#5 www.fontfreak.com
This is an amazing website with literally thousands upon thousands of fonts to download and dingbats as well. This is a highly rated website and completely free.
#6 www.downloadfreefonts.com
This is another great website because when you enter you can either choose Mac or PC or the top 20 font websites. From either Mac or PC you will be able to download the fonts you like most or you can visit all of the different top websites to check out the font availability and diversity.
#7 free.sinoa.com/FreeFonts/index.htm?29
Check out the different fonts available and then download the ones you like best or that suit your purposes best all for free!
#8 www.highfonts.com
A wide variety of fonts are available on this website, not to mention over 1001 free fonts to choose from. This site has a lot to offer and directs you to some good free font links as well.
#9 www.abstractfonts.com/fonts/
Great website for free fonts as well as other font related information you might find helpful.
#10 www.freefontsnow.com
This website has fonts for both Mac and PC and is yet another great way to search for fonts as well. You can either search categories to look for particular styles of fonts, or you can search by first letter if you already know the name of your font.
Michael Turner reveals his foolproof way to increase website traffic in his free 7 part mini-series. Grab it free right now at http://www.powertraffictactics.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Turner
Friday, June 1, 2007
Use Of Graphic Design To Increase Website Useability
There can be no argument about the importance of design in attracting Internet users to a particular web site. No one would bother to explore the contents of a site if it does not contain eye-catching graphics that can please the visual sense of the users. With so many kinds of web sites existing online, it is extremely challenging to attract users and keep them interested in the site.
But a web site developer does not simply apply graphics freely on a site. Graphics should be used in the correct manner, or else, users might get turned off because the graphics featured just overwhelmed or confused them.
While it is true that attractive design is important for reasons that need not be explained, the choice of design must be carefully considered against the fulfilling the needs of users. When done successfully, it could be safely said that the web site has achieved its goals.
Graphics used in the Internet is inextricably linked to multimedia. Multimedia is a combination of graphics, text, sound, and animation to express a message to users. The multimedia features that will be incorporated to a web site should be dependent on the content. In general, multimedia and graphics should serve as supports to content, and should have precise, instructional purpose.
According to research, animated images can facilitate the transfer of learning in a positive way if it is utilized to show a vital part of the concept that is being illustrated. On the other hand, animation can serve as a barrier to user recall and performance.
Here are the guidelines in incorporating graphics to web sites:
1. Justify the usage of the graphics
The most obvious problem that can be seen on web pages is the over-usage of graphics. The main downside of this is that complicated, unnecessary graphics can take a long time to download, and this, of course, will not sit well with users. The graphics to be applied should support the transfer of data and should also be in relation to the accompanying text.
2. The difference between graphics with text-redundant data and those containing information that is non-redundant is that the former facilitates and ushers in the learning process, while the latter does not either help or slow down learning.
3. Consistency should be a priority in graphic design
4. Web pages should be marked up so that text will be downloaded before the graphics. In this way, the users will know immediately if the page has the information that they are looking for, and if not, they will be able to save precious waiting time knowing that they do not need that certain page.
5. The loading of graphics should be controlled as such that loading will commence from top to bottom, and the users scrolling down the page will encounter said graphics.
6. The downloading of pages should be fast in order to save users waiting time, and in order to reduce the chances that they will get frustrated that they will abandon plans to download. Here are several ways to achieve fast download periods:
-Keep the physical size of the graphics to a minimum
-Images should be combined in order to minimize the number of server connections. Remember, the more connections that exists, the slower the download time will be
-Decrease image resolution
-Limit the colors that will be used for the images
-Limit the use of animation
Animation is very much a part of web graphic design. The primary difference between web text and graphics and contents that are print-based is the dynamics. Moving displays attract the attention of users as long as the frequency of the display is regulated. Too much animation display can irritate and distract users. An animation that is perpetually moving can destroy the readable quality of the web page.
The usage of blinking texts should be avoided. It has long been regarded as an overused feature and the latest browsers no longer support it.
In designing a web site, there always exists a conflict between the desire to have total control over the appearance of a page and the need to permit users to establish their own preferences. The general appearance of the page should be made by the designer, but there are certain elements that users should have control over, such as color and text background, and the option whether to display graphics or not.
It takes a considerable amount of effort to establish and maintain the attractiveness and efficiency of a web site. If the guidelines above will be followed, all the efforts of web designers will bear desirable results. They only have to remember that the benefit of the users will always be the basis for everything.
Author Resource:- 5 Shades Hosting is a successful web hosting provider that has been providing website design and affordable web hosting services for individuals and businesses for almost a decade now. Dollar-for-dollar, feature-for-feature, you'll find the best web hosting plans right here plus a full Money Back Guarantee.
Article From Niche Article Directory
But a web site developer does not simply apply graphics freely on a site. Graphics should be used in the correct manner, or else, users might get turned off because the graphics featured just overwhelmed or confused them.
While it is true that attractive design is important for reasons that need not be explained, the choice of design must be carefully considered against the fulfilling the needs of users. When done successfully, it could be safely said that the web site has achieved its goals.
Graphics used in the Internet is inextricably linked to multimedia. Multimedia is a combination of graphics, text, sound, and animation to express a message to users. The multimedia features that will be incorporated to a web site should be dependent on the content. In general, multimedia and graphics should serve as supports to content, and should have precise, instructional purpose.
According to research, animated images can facilitate the transfer of learning in a positive way if it is utilized to show a vital part of the concept that is being illustrated. On the other hand, animation can serve as a barrier to user recall and performance.
Here are the guidelines in incorporating graphics to web sites:
1. Justify the usage of the graphics
The most obvious problem that can be seen on web pages is the over-usage of graphics. The main downside of this is that complicated, unnecessary graphics can take a long time to download, and this, of course, will not sit well with users. The graphics to be applied should support the transfer of data and should also be in relation to the accompanying text.
2. The difference between graphics with text-redundant data and those containing information that is non-redundant is that the former facilitates and ushers in the learning process, while the latter does not either help or slow down learning.
3. Consistency should be a priority in graphic design
4. Web pages should be marked up so that text will be downloaded before the graphics. In this way, the users will know immediately if the page has the information that they are looking for, and if not, they will be able to save precious waiting time knowing that they do not need that certain page.
5. The loading of graphics should be controlled as such that loading will commence from top to bottom, and the users scrolling down the page will encounter said graphics.
6. The downloading of pages should be fast in order to save users waiting time, and in order to reduce the chances that they will get frustrated that they will abandon plans to download. Here are several ways to achieve fast download periods:
-Keep the physical size of the graphics to a minimum
-Images should be combined in order to minimize the number of server connections. Remember, the more connections that exists, the slower the download time will be
-Decrease image resolution
-Limit the colors that will be used for the images
-Limit the use of animation
Animation is very much a part of web graphic design. The primary difference between web text and graphics and contents that are print-based is the dynamics. Moving displays attract the attention of users as long as the frequency of the display is regulated. Too much animation display can irritate and distract users. An animation that is perpetually moving can destroy the readable quality of the web page.
The usage of blinking texts should be avoided. It has long been regarded as an overused feature and the latest browsers no longer support it.
In designing a web site, there always exists a conflict between the desire to have total control over the appearance of a page and the need to permit users to establish their own preferences. The general appearance of the page should be made by the designer, but there are certain elements that users should have control over, such as color and text background, and the option whether to display graphics or not.
It takes a considerable amount of effort to establish and maintain the attractiveness and efficiency of a web site. If the guidelines above will be followed, all the efforts of web designers will bear desirable results. They only have to remember that the benefit of the users will always be the basis for everything.
Author Resource:- 5 Shades Hosting is a successful web hosting provider that has been providing website design and affordable web hosting services for individuals and businesses for almost a decade now. Dollar-for-dollar, feature-for-feature, you'll find the best web hosting plans right here plus a full Money Back Guarantee.
Article From Niche Article Directory
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