Have you ever designed a website? If you have, then you understand just how frightening this can be. Whether you are attempting to create your own web identity or you have hired a pro to do it for you, the process can still be somewhat intimidating. This article provides some important information you will need to design your website correctly.

It is always good to add a favicon to your website. The favicon is a 16×16 image file in the .Ico format. This image is the one you see next to the URL bar, next to the title of the page on an opened tab and is also visible on your bookmarks tab if you choose to bookmark a page. The favicon will help users quickly recognize your page in their browser without reading any text or directly viewing the page.

Don’t use OnExit popups on your website. This tactic is mainly used by internet marketers who are trying a last-ditch attempt to get a sale. Word about these kinds of popups get around, and they will kill your reputation as a marketer. Mozilla has even taken steps to suppress the text on these popups, citing security risks.

Watch your use of color combinations when building your site. It is important to have text that is easy to read on your chosen background color. Dark text colors on lighter backgrounds tend to be easier on the eyes than light colors on dark backgrounds. If you don’t know whether your color theme functions well, ask a friend or colleague to provide feedback.

Always, always remove old or outdated information off your website. If a reader lands on your page and sees an expired offer, it will definitely be a deal-breaker. Users are careful with their time and if they can tell that your site is not updated often, they will leave. Make sure you regularly schedule time to add new content, and to remove old.

Incorporate a site map into your website. Site maps serve several purposes. First, they make navigation throughout your site much easier for visitors. Second, the major search engines can utilize it to index your entire site. This means your search engine optimization improves, and your website receives more exposure, giving you more profit-earning potential.

Avoid creating user interface (UI) controls that mislead your visitors. These controls include elements, widgets and more that create an interactive experience, such as a link, drop-down list or button. You do not want to make visitors think that clicking on an underlined word or phrase for example, will lead to a new page if it is not actually linked to something else. When your visitors have expectations of something working a certain way and it does not, they are more likely to assume there is something wrong with your site and leave.

To help your website visitors find their way home on your site, always include a link to your homepage on each page of your site. Having a home page link that is visible allows your reader to easily make their way back to starting point. If you do not have a home page link then your visitors might get frustrated and leave your site altogether.

Always keep your load times under 10 seconds. An efficient site that is nicely designed is going to load properly and quickly. If the site takes too long to load, you run the risk of losing your audience.

Now that you’ve reached the end of this article, you are probably itching to go out there and design a killer website. Armed with the knowledge that you’ve gotten from this article, you should be able to do just that. Use this information and your best instincts to design the site of your dreams.