How to Design a Successful Website

It's Easy to Design an Unsuccessful Website - Discover How to Design One that Gets Results

As a web designer I sometimes get clients who know exactly what they want. Unfortunately, often what they want will not result in the success they desire.

Despite offering my best advice on what works and what doesn't, I often find myself designing unsuccessful websites.

A successful website is one that people want to visit, spend time on and return to. Achieving this is straightforward if you follow the rules.

What Kind of Web Site Do You Need?

Think about where you want to go before you start the journey - set your goals first.

Which methods are best suited to meet your goals and how will you measure success?
Consider the choices available

Web Design Tutorials Available

HTML

Enough to get the novice going as well as provide a reference for the more advanced.
HTML Tutorial

CSS

How did designers manage before the introduction of CSS?
CSS Tutorial

JavaScript

Add interactivity to your web pages.
JavaScript Tutorial

PHP

If you're serious about web design then you'll need PHP.
PHP Tutorial

MySQL

Add serious functionality with the web's favourite database solution.
MySQL Tutorial

Usability

The most important thing to know after HTML. Even the slickest site in the world will be unsuccessful if it's not usable.
Usability Tutorial

Glossary

If there's anyone out there who knows all those annoying Internet buzz words let me know and I'll expand this glossary.
Glossary of Internet Terms

About Web Design Workmate

I began designing websites professionally in 2000 soon after I had completed an Open University BSc Degree and Diploma in computing.

I started, like most, with HTML and CSS, moving on to JavaScript, Flash then PHP and MySQL - along the way picking up what I could about usability and graphic design.

Like many, I learned web design, not only from books, but also from sites like this and for this I'm grateful - so I decided to create this site and pass on what I've learned.

I hope web designers will find the tutorials useful - both professional and non-professional.

My Own Web Site

My own website is www.smallbizonline.co.uk which is based in West Lothian, Scotland, and provides web design for businesses and individuals. Our services include custom web site design (static HTML web sites or database driven web sites), web hosting, content management, shopping carts, Flash design and domain names.