Coding
ByAlex MitchellLast Update on
Making an awesome website takes work. You need great design, development, content and more to stand out from the competition. Here are 101 tips to take your website to the next level:
Branding
Get a professional logo designed. This establishes credibility right away.
Add a high-resolution favicon. Use a 64×64 pixel icon so it looks sharp on retina displays.
Use retina-ready images. Make images 2x larger than their containers, then scale down.
Limit your color palette to 2-3 colors. Choose a background, call-to-action and accent hue.
Select complementary colors. These create contrast and visual interest.
Avoid pure black. Go for dark shades of other hues instead.
Add color tints to grays. A hint of red, yellow or blue makes grays warmer and more vibrant.
Typography
Choose premium fonts. Services like Adobe Fonts and Google Fonts have great options.
Limit fonts to 2-3. Any more creates visual clutter.
Set body text at 16px or larger. Smaller text strains readers‘ eyes.
Use a typographic scale. This aligns font sizes, line heights and margins.
Add white space between elements. This creates balance and directs focus.
Use icon fonts. These scale easily and load faster than image icons.
Layouts
Follow the rule of thirds. Place key elements along grid lines.
Use a columnar grid. Break layouts into 8, 12 or 16 columns.
Maintain a baseline grid. This aligns text margins vertically.
Embrace white space. Breathing room balances layouts.
Create clear visual hierarchies. Establish a path for users to follow.
User Interfaces
Make buttons obvious. Every page should have one clear call-to-action.
Add hover states. Change color/style when users interact.
Standardize forms. Use consistent borders, colors and styles.
Indicate visited links. So users know where they‘ve already been.
Create a UI style guide. This ensures consistent components.
User Experience
Add microinteractions. Show processing after clicks and submissions.
Avoid scroll hijacking. Don‘t override default scrolling behavior.
Lose the slider. Carousels hurt conversions and take up space.
Skip splash pages. Users expect to see real content right away.
Make scanning easy. Use headlines, lists and other scannable content.
Add placeholder text to forms. Provide input examples up front.
Validate forms. Clearly show submission errors before allowing retry.
Check accessibility. Sites should work for all users.
Fix broken links. Redirect or remove dead URLs.
Development
Make sites mobile-friendly. Responsive design works on any device.
Right-size images. Display thumbnails vs. full-size where possible.
Add alt text to images. Provide descriptions if images fail to load.
Use semantic markup. and have specific meanings.
Clean up code. Remove unnecessary spans, divs and styles.
Avoid inline CSS. Put styling rules in external stylesheet files.
Use Sass variables. Change sitewide colors and sizing in one place.
Link properly. Reference internal pages by relative URL, not full paths.
Build custom features. Unique tools and plugins set you apart.
Test across browsers. Sites should work perfectly in all major browsers.
Validate code. Check for HTML, CSS and JavaScript errors.
Create staging sites. Make changes safely before deploying live.
Update copyright dates. Showing only an early year looks abandoned.
SEO
Optimize pages for target keywords. Focus on one primary phrase per page.
Craft descriptive
tags. These display in search engine results. Add just one H1 per page. In most cases, match the H1 to the title tag.
Include supporting headlines. H2, H3 and H4 tags create hierarchy.
Place key phrases appropriately. Title, H1, early content are best.
Write a meta description for every page. Include the focus keyword.
Add keywords to URLs. Separate words with dashes for readability.
Register domains long-term. Age indicates an established site.
Publish long-form content. 2,000+ words helps pages rank well.
Interlink internal content. Users should reach other pages in 1-3 clicks.
Include structured data. Add code to help search bots understand your content.
Check PageSpeed Insights. Fix suggestions to improve performance.
Page Speed
Keep pages under 2MB. Bloated pages load slowly.
Limit page requests below 70. Every file is an extra HTTP call.
Avoid background images. Use CSS for buttons and common elements.
Compress images. Tools like TinyPNG shrink files dramatically.
Use a CDN. Store media globally so it loads faster for visitors.
Minify code. Special tools remove excess characters and whitespace.
Put non-critical JavaScript in footers. Only header scripts affect initial render.
Skip unnecessary redirects. These double page load time.
Configure server caching. Set expires headers so resources load locally.
Enable gzip compression. Drastically reduce transferred data amounts.
Turn on Keep-Alive. Reuse TCP connections for multiple file requests.
Get better hosting. Avoid congested shared servers for faster response times.
Graphic Design
Design a custom ebook cover. Make opt-in offers more enticing.
Add original illustrations. Unique art makes sites more memorable.
Create recognizable blog graphics. So images stand out in social shares.
Show custom caricatures. Fun avatars for about page bios.
Produce engaging infographics. Display data visually for shares and links.
Brand videos consistently. Interesting intros and outros build familiarity.
Security
Install an SSL certificate. Encrypt data and boost SEO.
Stay updated. Apply patches and software upgrades promptly.
Require two-factor authentication. Add a second login step for admins.
Check for malware. Scan files and remove any found threats.
Change default admin credentials. Don‘t use common usernames like "admin".
Back up site files and databases. You need both to fully restore sites.
Content
Create a custom 404 page. Guide visitors to relevant content.
Optimize your About page. It‘s one of the most visited.
Add a Contact page. Listing info helps build user and SEO trust.
Sprinkle in opt-in forms. Offer incentives to build your email list.
Build dedicated squeeze pages. Point traffic to optimized landing pages.
Require email confirmation. Double opt-in helps ensure valid addresses.
Show a thank you page post sign-up. Immediately provide value to subscribers.
Create reusable landing page templates. Standard layouts for campaigns.
Design enticing sales pages. Convince visitors your offers are worthwhile.
Social
Limit social buttons. Too many slow page speed unnecessarily.
Create custom social cover images. Visually represent your brand on sites.
Configure Open Graph for Facebook. Control what displays when links get shared.
Set up Twitter Cards. Attach rich data to tweets automatically.
Add Google+ snippet markup. Looks better when people +1 your content.
Hide outgoing icons onsite. Focus should be drawing visitors deeper into your content, not away.
Extras
Show visitors their browsing history. Let them jump back to recent pages easily.
Integrate native ads. Ethical affiliate links blend with surrounding content.
Allow comments. Building communities fosters engagement.
Add reaction buttons. Let visitors react to content without having to comment.
Install chatbots. Provide instant answers so visitors don‘t have to search.
So there you have it – 101 tips and ideas to make your website shine. Implementing even a handful of these can set you apart from competitors and turn casual visitors into loyal community members.
What strategies have you used to improve your own websites and boost performance? Please share in the comments below!
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Alex Mitchell
Dr. Alex Mitchell is a dedicated coding instructor with a deep passion for teaching and a wealth of experience in computer science education. As a university professor, Dr. Mitchell has played a pivotal role in shaping the coding skills of countless students, helping them navigate the intricate world of programming languages and software development.
Beyond the classroom, Dr. Mitchell is an active contributor to the freeCodeCamp community, where he regularly shares his expertise through tutorials, code examples, and practical insights. His teaching repertoire includes a wide range of languages and frameworks, such as Python, JavaScript, Next.js, and React, which he presents in an accessible and engaging manner.
Dr. Mitchell’s approach to teaching blends academic rigor with real-world applications, ensuring that his students not only understand the theory but also how to apply it effectively. His commitment to education and his ability to simplify complex topics have made him a respected figure in both the university and online learning communities.
