Designing a quality website is not easy, especially if you have no previous experience with web design. Read this article and make sure you avoid these top five mistakes.

Do not create a design that is too complex. In most cases, your site will be easier to navigate if you use a very basic design. The best way to organize a site is to create different pages for your content and place different elements in boxes. You should have a main section for the content of your page, another section on top or on the side for your menu, a copyright disclaimer at the bottom of your pages, additional boxes for your banners, social network links, subscription forms or anything you need to draw attention to.

Do not forget to test your site before you launch it. If you used only Internet browser to preview your site, your design might not be displayed properly by another browser or on another device. Preview your site with the most popular Internet browsers. You should also test it with different devices including tablets and cell phones. You can make your site compatible for different browsers and devices by using a very simple design and writing clear code. Avoid defining the place of your elements with pixels; use percentages instead so different devices can interpret your site.

Do not neglect search engine optimization when creating your design. You should avoid using flash content and other languages that search engine spiders cannot read. Do not use a picture for your background or for your header; you should select a simple background color instead, and use text filled with strong keywords for your header and titles. Design a simple menu with HTML instead of using Java script to create a more stylish menu; search engine spiders will not be able to read your Java script menu and will not follow links to your different pages.

Do not spend your money on a professional web designer or on expensive site building tools until you can really afford to. If you are just launching your online business and need to cut down on costs, all you need is a blog and a domain name. You will be able to put your site together through your blogging platform and choose a template for your design. Take the time to personalize this template by changing the colors or adding more elements to your pages, for instance. Invest in a better website once your online business becomes more successful.

The design you use on your site or blog should be similar to the color patterns you use for your newsletter and social network profiles. A lot of people will identify your business right away thanks to a logo and a color pattern. You should take the time to think about your logo and the colors you want to use before you get started with your online business. Do not change these colors since a lot of customers will remember them.

Keep these tips in mind to avoid committing common web design mistakes. Do more research about different ways to design a site before you get started.