Basic tips for web designs

Graphics

1. Think small
, like 10-12KB per image. Yes, depending on the source, the number of broadband users is going up. But slow pages are still really annoying, even if you're on a T1. And huge images are a primary cause of slow pages. It's easy to optimize your images.

1. Always use graphics that fit the content. Just because you have an adorable photo of your dog doesn't mean you should have it on your Web site about Web Design (sorry, Shasta...). The main exception I would make to this is for "design" images. These are photos or graphics that help make up the design of the page, and are not intended to illustrate the content.

1. Do not use images that blink
 or move or change or rotate or flash or do anything on your page. Or use them sparingly. There have been many studies that show that flashing graphics are distracting and annoying to people. In fact, in one focus group I watched the browsers actually physically cover up flashing graphics so that they could read the rest of the page.

Layout

1. Stick with standard layouts
. I've seen some pages that use 6 or 8 frames on one page. Another site used a layout where you had to scroll to the right to read everything on the page (but you never had to scroll down). These layouts are cute, and you might find them fun to build, but they will drive your readers nuts. The reason that the 3-column layout is so popular on Web sites and newspapers is because it works. You might think it's boring, but you'll keep more readers if you stick with something simple that they can understand.

1. Whitespace is more than the CSS property, it is a function of your layout. You should be aware of the whitespace on your pages and how it affects how the content is viewed.Whitespace is just as important in a Web layout as it is in a paper layout.

1. Use your graphics as elements in your layouts
. Graphics can be more than just graphics when you use them as actual elements in your layouts. An extreme example is when youwrap text around an image, but any image you have on your site is a layout element and should be treated as such.

Fonts

1. Serif for headlines and Sans-Serif for text
. If you've taken any type of print design, this might be exactly the opposite of what you were taught. But the Web is not print. Sans-serif fonts are much easier to read on computer monitors because the screen resolution is not as high as in print. If you use serif fonts for normal text, the serifs can blur together on the screen making them hard to read. Your printer friendly page should use the opposite fonts (serif for headlines and sans-serif for text).

1. Limit the number of different fonts
. One of the best ways to make your Web site look amateurish is to change the font over and over. Sure, it's possible to do, but limiting your page and site to 2 or possibly 3 standard font families is easier to read and looks more professional.

1. Use standard font families
. Yes, you can choose to use "Rockwood LT Standard" as your font on your page, but the chances that one of your readers will have that font as well is pretty low. Sticking with fonts like Verdana, Geneva, Arial, and Helvetica may seem boring, but your pages will look better and the designs look correct on more browsers.

Advertising

1. Don't be greedy
. If you have any control over the number of ads on your site, be aware that your readers are not coming to read the ads, they are coming for the content. If the ads overwhelm the page content, many readers won't stick around long enough to read your purple prose. Yes, it's important to make money from your Web site, but if your ads drive people away, you'll ultimately lose money.

1. Treat ads as you would any other image
. Keep them small, avoid blinking/flashing, and keep them relevant. Just because you can have an ad on your site, doesn't mean that you should. If the content is relevant to your readers, they're more likely to click on the ad.

Remember Your Readers

1. Test your pages in multiple browsers
. Writing Web pages that work only on the most modern browser is both stupid and annoying. Unless you are writing a Web site for a corporate intranet or a kiosk where the browser version is completely fixed, you'll have problems with people not being able to view your pages.

1. The same is true for operating systems
. You can't assume that just because your page works in IE5.0 for Windows it will work in IE5.0 for Macintosh.

1. Write content that they want
. Unless you're writing a site purely for yourself (and if you are, why is it posted to the Web?), make sure that your content covers topics that your readers want to read.

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Block Ads In Chrome

Blocking ads in Chrome is just easy. AdBlock for Chrome is plugin for this purpose. AdBlock is easier to setup; with AdBlock you do not need to select which filter's list to subscribe to - AdBlock automatically uses AdBlock's own filters and AdBlock Plus' EasyList. So, to use AdBlock all you need to do is install it - it will start blocking ads instantly requiring little to no assistance from you.

Most other features present in AdBlock are:

• Users can exclude sites from being blocked (press Ctrl + Shift + L when surfing the website you want to exclude):

• Users can manually block an ad AdBlock missed (press Ctrl + Shift + K when surfing the website with the ad you want to block):

• Users can manually change which filters are being used:

Unfortunately AdBlock does not have an easy way to remove false positives like AdBlock Plus does (as far as I can tell). Also, whereas AdBlock Plus fully stopped ads from being downloaded, because of the restrictions of Chrome, some ads are blocked by AdBlock after they have been downloaded as opposed to being blocked from being downloaded.

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Block Ads In Internet Explorer

sometimes ads appearing over internet irritates.Ads can be annoying or they may hinder your surfing speed.So i am going to discuss how we can block ads in browsers.We will discuss IE here

Block in Internet Explorer

Blocking ads on Internet Explorer is little bit complicated. Internet Explore has no free ad blocking plugin.  So, I will provide you multiple different methods of blocking ads in Internet Explorer - you decide which one is best for you. 

USE INPRIVATE BROWSING FILTERING CAPABILITIES

Internet Explorer's InPrivate Browsing - the mode that makes sure no browsing data is stored on your computer - has a feature that allows users to filter content. This filter can be used to block ads. A user on DSLReports forum created an XML file out of AdBlock Plus's list of ads to block and this XML file can be imported into InPrivate Browsing's content filter:

• Download the XML file. (Unzip it after downloading.)
• Go to "Safety" -> "InPrivate Filtering Settings" and click on "Advanced Settings":

• At the "Advanced settings" window click in "Import" and import the XML file you downloaded:

The great thing about using this filter is

1. It uses AdBlock Plus's filter list so you will be blocking most all ads.
2. You do not have to be in InPrivate Browsing mode for the ads to be blocked. Ads will be blocked like normal as long as you have "InPrivate Filtering" enabled ("Safety" -> "InPrivate Filtering").

The thing about "InPrivate Filtering" is you must manually turn it on every time you run Internet Explorer. If you find that annoying, a simple registry hack makes "InPrivate Filtering" automatically turn on every time you run Internet Explorer. To do this registry hack

• Run regedit.
• Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Safety\PrivacIE
• Right-click, go to "New" -> "DWORD":

• Name the new key StartMode:

• Right-click the key -> "Modify". Make sure hexadecimal is selected, enter a 1 in the textbox and click OK:

• Close regedit. Done! Now every time you run Internet Explorer "InPrivate Filtering" will be turned on and ads will be blocked.

Since this method uses InPrivate Browsing's filter, there is no need to download any plugins. The downside, however, is

• The XML file from the DSLReports user is an year old (i.e. AdBlock Plus' filters have been updated since then) so the list does not include the latest ad servers in it (although it still allows you to block most ads you will come across)
• You cannot exclude specific websites from the filter (i.e. you can't make it so dotTech ads are not blocked)
• It is hard to pinpoint and remove false positives.

IE7PRO

IE7Pro is a plugin for Internet Explorer (works on IE 6/7/8 - not just IE 7)  that adds a boatload of useful features to Internet Explorer. One of the features IE7Pro adds is an adblocker. This adblocker, however, is not enabled by default after installing IE7Pro - users have to manually enable it after installation. (Be warned during the installation of IE7Pro you are prompted with - drum roll please - an ad for installing a third party program; don't accidentally install that third party program if you don't want it.):

After the adblocker module has been enabled, you still need to enable the Flash blocker (to block Flash ads). To do this, go to "Preferences" again, click on "Ad Blocker" and enable Flash blocker:

You have the ability to modify filters, add your own filters, and whitelist websites.

Overall I found the ad blocking features of IE7Pro to be very poor; heck it wouldn't even block Google AdSense ads...

SIMPLE ADBLOCK

Simple Adblock is the closest IE users will be able to get to an AdBlock Plus-like plugin. Simple Adblock uses EasyList filters (the one from AdBlock Plus) to block ads so its accuracy in blocking ads is extremely good, although not as good as AdBlock Plus since AdBlock Plus allows for usage of multiple filters. Also, while Simple Adblock does allow users to disable Simple Adblock on a specific website, there is not much users can do to block individual ads or unblock individual ads. Simple Adblock does allow users to customize the filters list, but again, that is is a hassle because users have to modify files located in Simple Adblock's installation folder.

On the brightside, Simple Adblock is very easy to setup, requiring only two inputs from the user after installation:

After installation Simple Adblock is accessible via an icon placed in Internet Explorer's bottom bar:

As I said, Simple Adblock is the closest free plugin Internet Explorer users will get to AdBlock Plus; a word of caution about Simple Adblock though. You should always only install plugins/add-ons/extensions from trusted sources because otherwise you could be installing a browser exploit without knowing it. Simple Adblock is not that well known (thus not fully vetted by the Internet Explorer community) and the developer does not provide any information about him/herself. I am not saying Simple Adblock is a malicious plugin (SiteAdvisor says it is clean, Download.com says it is clean, and I scanned it personally and it came out to be clean); I am saying be cautious.

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