A Fluid or Fixed Width Design For Your Website?

I saw these comments recently, on a web designers page.
(Let me point out, that I respect and admire this designers web and graphics work. It is only this statement that I believe to be incorrect and misleading. IMHO)

When SBI developed a 725 pixels wide layout for its templates, don't you think it was for a good reason? The answer is YES, it was. A web page shouldn't be wider than 725 - 740 pixels if you are concerned with keeping your visitors around.

Okay, would you agree with that statement? It's pretty strong.

And it also works on the assumption that a page allowed to go wider than 800px will force people using 800x600 resolution to scroll right. Sorry, but I'm not going to agree that it has to be done this way to have an enjoyable viewing experience for everyone.

Sure, SBI had a reason for developing a 725px wide template. And that's so the page was optimized for the 10% of people who use 800 x 600 resolution. And readable for everyone else. Cutting edge page design for Block-Builder isn't their strongest point! My opinion on what it looks like at higher resolutions will remain unsaid.

Would This Be Better Than Fixed Width?

A webpage that is full screen at 800x600px resolution. Much the same as suggested above. But...... at 1024x768px it remains at full screen (it expands to fit the screen). Then at resolutions higher than this, it stops expanding, and then centers with a border of your choice either side of the page. This maintains an optimum line length for a 3 column design.

Remember, 800x600 make up only around 10% of viewers. 1024x768 and 1280x1024 is the huge majority. Bigger than this is starting to get more common. So wouldn't it be nice NOT to have to optimize for that 10%, but rather the other 90%?? And yet still have the page perfect for the lower resolutions?

Can It Be Done?

And more importantly, can it be done with reliable and consistent results in all mainstream browsers? Especially Internet Explorer, which is notorious for ignoring/ misinterpreting css code? That means that a simple max-width in the stylesheet isn't going to do the job.

The answer is yes, it can be done.

To Do It On Your Page

You have two choices. Experiment and test until you find the answer. Or download the free report.

You will need to be using an external stylesheet, and be prepared to make some minor modifications to it. You can simply copy and paste the code and things will work as they should. But there is also an explanation as to why it works, for those that are interested.


fluid webpage design

New! FREE Report

Have you ever wondered whether a fluid design, or a fixed width would be better for your website?

Suppose I said the answer is....neither!

That's right, there is a NEW way to design your page combining the best of both, with none of the drawbacks. And it's surprising easy to add the changes to your stylesheet and implement. You don't even need to know how or why it works, to get this happening on your pages!

You won't find this information elsewhere - it's an original idea and concept developed by myself. And I'm making it freely available. This code is in place on a number of websites now, with fantastic results...no matter what browser or OS is used. If you wish to offer this as a free download on your own site, please take a copy of the PDF, and the cover image. I appreciate an email to let me know, as well, thanks.
You can get your copy here. Download the free report Have fun with this!






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