Title: Web site do's and don'ts
By: Jonny Buroker
What constitutes a professional Web site? The answer to this question is as varied as those asking the question. There are so many aspects to consider when designing and building a site and each one can affect how visitors perceive the site. Online, you don't have the luxury of greeting your potential customers with a smile and a handshake — your site has to do that for you.
This brief list of do's and don'ts is meant to be a starting point as you update your existing site or build a new one. Your Web site will often be the first impression people have of your company, so keep it professional and build it for your visitors.
Web design do's and don'ts
- Keep it short and sweet. People read text off a computer screen much slower than off paper. Therefore, keep your content focused and short (300 - 600 words per page).
- Keep your content fresh. Just like your business changes over time, so too should your Web site. Ideally, update your site at least once a month to add new information and to remove anything out-of-date.
- Include your contact information. If you want your site visitors to contact you, whether to buy products or inquire about your offerings, it's important to include your contact information (phone number, address, and/or e-mail) where they can easily find it.
- Build your site to be viewable at 800 x 600 resolution. Even though many computers have higher resolution capabilities, a large segment still have lower-resolution 800 x 600 displays.
- Provide alternate text for all your images. "Alt" text is text that you insert in your image tags that is used by text-only browsers. Text-only browsers are used by the blind to surf the Web, and the alt text allows them (and the search engines) to read your image descriptions.
- Use standard navigation and page layouts. Keep it simple - left side or top navigation is what people are used to. Keep it consistent throughout.
- Don't use too many colors. Keep your color scheme limited to a couple of colors and keep it consistent across your site unless you want to emphasize a major section.
- Don't use Flash intros: Introductory Flash pages used to be all the rage, but so was Disco. Enough said!
- Don't use "under construction" pages: If a page isn't ready to put on your site, leave it out, as well as any links to it, until it is.
- Don't use background music! It might be OK for MTV or Disney; otherwise, it's annoying.
- Don't use automatic pop-up windows! Typically, pop-ups are used to present ads and other information to visitors. Unless it's your intent to chase away these visitors, don't use them.
- Don't use animations or flashing/blinking text. A visitor is looking for information, and flashing/moving objects distract the eyes. If your visitors are distracted while reading your content, comprehension decreases while frustration increases.
- Don't overuse bold, italics or CAPs in your text. These should be used sparingly and only to highlight important points.
A great site takes time!
This is just a short list of the things you should consider as you evolve your site. Keep your eye on the prize - build your site for your current and potential customers and move them toward a business relationship with you.