The design principles used to construct a website can have an immediate impact on the way that visitors to the site perceive and react to it. First impressions have to be good to ensure they like what they see and stick around to read more. If you make use of the following tips, you should minimize the chances of a poor first impression.

Pay attention to the colors on your website to make sure they match. If the text fades into the background due to poor contrast, the text will be hard to read. There is data that shows that people have an easier time reading dark text on a light background. The opposite is still readable, but not optimal. Soliciting feedback from a friend can help you determine how effective your color scheme is if you develop doubts about it.

Never use pop-ups. Nothing is worse that going to a website and being bombarded with pop-up ads. Even large, popular websites can lose visitors by mistakenly employing pop-up ads. Avoid using these irritating ads to keep your visitors happy. Some website hosting services require you to use pop-up ads; you should view such policies as strong arguments against using such a service.

Newsletters can generate repeat visits. When you allow visitors to subscribe to your website’s newsletter for updates, they will be more likely to come back to your site. It is good practice to place the newsletter signup form in your website’s side bar. Furthermore, you should always keep track of everyone who signs up. Make sure to only deliver the newsletter to people who have requested it!

Each topic needs its own page. Each different topic should have a separate page on your website. Not only will viewers be less confused, but search engines can pick up on your site easier, which gives you a higher ranking.

Make certain that your site is accessible for various incarnations of Internet Explorer. While IE is the bane of everyday browsing these days, you would be surprised how many people use outdated browsers for web surfing. These require the use of some workarounds. Specifically, you should learn about a “box model bug” which troubled Internet Explorer for years.

Make user needs a priority. A good web design always has the visitor’s needs in mind. For example, many users are concerned about accessibility, usability, user interaction and user experience. You should consider these issues as you go about your work. Putting yourself in your customers shoes can really help you to design the best page possible.

Include strong meta-tags on every page of your site, if you want to get more visitors to your site. Quality meta tags will help search engines point interested people in your site’s direction. Not putting enough effort into their content can severely hurt your page rank and reduce your traffic.

People generally notice a site’s design almost right away, and that can be the deciding factor as to whether they stay or leave a website. You want to give off a good first impression. It is hoped that these tips have given you some of the tools you will need to be a success with web design and traffic retention.