Creating just the right website can be an ongoing process. Just when you think you have your site the way you want it, you see another website that you want to emulate. The best way to build a website is to have a basic idea of what you want and then slowly build out from that central theme.
Use Your Images
There are many different ways you can use images on a website that can add some dynamics to your site and make your site easier to navigate. One type of image you can use is called a swap image.
This is an image that appears on the screen when you place the cursor over a particular link. For example, if your website is about classic cars, then you could have a picture of the car appear on the screen when someone puts their cursor on the car link.
Another image trick is called a roll-over image. This is when the image changes as you drag the mouse across it. This is a lot of fun and can be a way for you to hide little secrets on your website for the user to find.
Animated images can add a lot of action and fun to your website, but you may want to be careful and not add too many. A few well-placed animated images can add some motion and interest to a website, but too many animated images all over the site can take away from the other messages you are trying to get across.
Page Backgrounds
One of the things that really makes a website stand out is the use of background images. By using proper background images you can establish a theme for your website that will make building the rest of the site a bit easier.
Make sure that it is still possible to read the text on your website when using background images and try and make the backgrounds unique. There are many photo-editing software packages that can help you alter and add to an image to help make it perfect for your website. Remember that sometimes the best backgrounds are simple patterns or textures that allow the rest of your website to stand out.
Navigation
It can be frustrating to a user to have to navigate a poorly planned website or a website that does not have a useful navigation system. Always include a site map with your website so that people can find the important items quickly and test all the links on your website, using a free online validator for example, to make sure they work properly.
