If you’ve browsed the web for long, I’m sure you’ve come across sites where, when you click on links, a new browser window opens. If you want an example try this link: Blog Top Sites.

This is done by adding the attribute, target=”_blank”, to the link anchor tag.

How do you feel about having a site designer choose to force you to open a new browser window?

Lots of people don’t like this at all, and in fact I’ve seen it featured in lists of the most annoying things people have seen in web design, along with animated graphics and being caught inside someone’s frames. Many if not most people do not like having a site force the opening of a new browser window. It is intrusive.

Now, with the tabbed browsing used in Firefox and Internet Explorer v.7, I too find it annoying because I like to keep all my sites opened in tabs, in one browser window.

There’s a simple way to get around these types of links. If you realize you’re at a site that is opening browser windows you don’t want, just right-click on the mouse, right over the link you want to explore, and choose “open in new tab”. Voila! No more browser windows opening!

This tip is also very helpful for sites that use frames and force you to stay inside their frames while you explore other sites they’ve linked to. About.Com does this, though it also gives an option to click to get rid of their frame at the top of the page, so it is much better than many other framed sites we’ve seen. In the future if you find you’re at a site that keeps a frame open on the new site you want to see, just hit your back-arrow, and then right-click on the link for the new site you want to see, choosing “open in new tab’.

I found another great webmaster message board today: Web Pro World. While I was there I reviewed a site that dealt with a rather ponderous banking subject. The site looked like it had been done by an amateur, and I made some recommendations of things I’d change to make it look more professionally done.The first thing that hit me about the site was the font used. The site owner used Times New Roman 12pt., highlighting some key points in red and blue. The site’s colors: red, white, and blue, were probably meant to be patriotic and the only graphic on the page was a small American flag in the upper left corner. Though some of the blue in the header and left-side column was lightened, and the main section was white with mostly-black lettering, the site continued to give the feeling of darkness.

My first recommendation was to make the site look more professional by using a nice sans-serif font made for the web, like Verdana, 10pt..

I also recommended brightening the place up a bit. Here’s what I wrote…

“For a graphic in the header, I think the flag in the corner is too small. Your site would look nicer with a large banner that extends across the page with the site name on it. To make one you could download the Paint Shop Pro program at http://www.jasc.com and use it for free for a few weeks on a trial basis. Make yourself a drop-dead gorgeous name banner and your site will look 100% better.

Put something in the background that makes people feel cheerful and happy - like a field of yellow tulips. Lighten up your colors. I recommend that because you’re dealing with a very deep subject and a few cheerful or interesting graphics may have a subconscious way of helping people deal with the idea of CD rates in a better state of mind.

For an example, check out this bank website with the cute photo of bears in the middle of it: http://www.bankofthewest.com - notice the light colors and the cute house and world icons further down on the page.”

Catering to your potential customer’s subconscious feelings by putting him in a good mood is always good for business.

Wise use of color is an issue every professional webdesigner takes seriously. Each color means something, provokes a mood, and causes reactions. Not only that, the colors must work together well. They must not be too bright, or too depressing.

When I created my first site long ago I had a royal blue background with orange lettering. Do you think I got complaints about that? I sure did! Be careful what you put on your site if you expect people to read it. Nothing works quite so well as plain black lettering on white, though I sometimes vary the shade of the font so long as it remains pleasantly legible.

If you want to create a site that will be taken seriously and will look professional, you’ll soon learn that your best color is white. Lots of what we call ‘white space’ is appreciated by anyone who really wants to find information on your site. Look around you at what you see here. The green is an awesome highlight but the main color is white.

To maintain balance and ease the suffering of your site visitors, use no more than three colors, plus white. Fortunately there are lots of little software programs and websites that help webdesigners choose colors that work well together. The one I use is called Coffee Cup Color Schemer. You can download a trial version to use for 14 days.

Here are other color resources I’ve used while designing for the web:

Color Contrast Analyzer - a tool that checks foreground and background colors to determine if you’ll have good color visibility.

Visibone Webmaster’s Color Lab - online color chooser

Color Wizard - color matching utility

Color Wheel Pro - color theory in action - software

Color Impact - color schemes at the click of a button, software to buy

Color Scheme Tool - creates a variety of palettes

Pick a Peck of Palettes - article by Mary Carter, with samples

Color Associations - what colors mean

Color Symbolism - using color for meaning

Behr Paint Colors - color picker

Color Test Results - survey on readability of color combinations

Color Combinations - contrast and suggestions

Worqx Color Overview - the study of color theory

Today I want to tell you something simple and basic. Every page of your site should look pretty much like the others, so design and use a template.

Have you ever been to a personal site where every page uses a different type of background?

Often new designers use different colors on each page, different fonts, and different page layouts. I did it myself when I first started designing sites over ten years ago.

This is not done by most professional designers because we know that when a visitor arrives at your site, they’re usually looking for information. They need to know where the information is.

Easy site navigation is essential. The links to all the other pages should be in the same location on every page to keep site visitors from guessing how to get around. And having all the pages look essentially the same is easy on the eyes and holds the pages together so the visitor will indeed know this is one site he’s browsing, not ten different ones. It is a matter of aesthetics and practical site navigation.

So when you’re ready to design your site, do the front page first. Work on that page until the template is perfect, then empty the text area and make as many copies of the empty page as you’ll need to build your site. Fill each page with the appropriate text and graphics, and you’ll have all the pages done quickly and easily.