10
Tips for a Better Website,
by Merle
There are just some things that need to be included
in every website. If you integrate these tips
into your site your visitors will "thank
you" for it later:
1) Navigation: Keep it simple
(KISS), and make sure it's consistent from page
to page. No matter where you place your menu bar
-- either at the top or down the side -- always
include a small text menu at the bottom of every
page. If you're one of those people easily impressed
with Flash, don't design your navigation with
it. There are still some people who don't have
or want the plug-in, so they won't be able to
navigate your site. Besides, search engine spiders
can't read it, so won't be able to spider the
individual pages of your site if the navigation
is done in Flash.
2) Privacy Policy: With all of
the concern over privacy on the Web if you collect
any type of information from your visitors (even
if it's just an email address) you need to include
a privacy policy. There are many online templates
that will help you to create one easily. Once
made, post a link to it on every page of your
site.
3) Contact Information: Nothing
drives me more insane than having to search through
an entire website just to send the owner an email.
Post your contact info at the bottom of every
page of your site, along with your email address.
Don't make me fill out a whole form when I just
want to send a simple comment. Include your email
address, hotlinked and ready to go.
4) Logos & Graphics: Please
keep your graphics down to a reasonable size.
No one wants to wait two minutes while your huge,
beautiful logo loads onto the screen. If you must
use a lot of graphics to get your point across,
I've got one word for you: Compression.
5) Fonts: Remember if you stray
from using the standard fonts that everyone has
installed on their computers (such as Arial, Verdana,
Times New Roman) the viewer won't see your fonts
as intended. Your users' computers will display
your site in their default fonts. Stick to standards.
If you must have a certain font used you'll have
to turn it into a graphic to maintain its look.
6) Make It Sticky: Include interactive
features if possible, such as live news feeds.
Check out http://www.moreover.com for tons of
news feed topics you can paste into your site
for free. Use chat rooms, discussion boards, etc.
You want to create a sense of community where
people will want to return.
7) Newsletter: If you're going
to have a website you need to offer a newsletter,
even if it's strictly going to be about sale items,
specials or site updates. You need to start collecting
a list of your visitors' email addresses so you
can keep in touch with them. Ezines help to keep
your site fresh in the client's mind and helps
to establish trust and credibility. For more on
how to start your own ezine see http://www.ezineuniversity.com
8) Browsers: You'd be amazed
at how differently your website appears in different
browsers. Make sure you take a peek at your site
in Netscape and Internet Explorer. Recent stats
show IE has about 80% of the market share, but
you'll still want to make sure the other 20% can
view your site without any problems.
9) Resolution: This is a highly
debatable subject. "What resolution should
I design for?" The norm these days seems
to be 800X600 although there are still a small
number of people limping along in 640X480. Look
at your site in different resolutions to get an
idea of what I'm talking about. If you don't mind
letting the small majority scroll right and left,
I say go with 800X600 (that's what I do) and it
still looks acceptable to those surfing in mega
resolutions of 1024 and higher.
10) Index Page: This may seem
like a given, but I'm going to mention it anyway.
On the very first page of your site (the homepage)
the first paragraph should answer the "5
W's"; basically telling them who you are
and what you're offering. You'd be amazed at the
number of websites that leave this out; making
me think "what do these people do, and what's
in it for me?" You need to answer these questions
and do it fast. Surfers are a very impatient group.
Stop them before they click away.
If you remember the above 10 pointers when putting
together your next website, you'll create a winning
site that visitors will want to return to, and
not run away from in frustration.
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