This is a collection of recommendations for you to consider as you begin putting together a plan for your web site. You will find that a careful reading of this will educate you on many of the pitfalls that can be avoided with a well thought out design.

Organization and planning are foundational to the success of your site. As you will be coordinating your plan with other colleagues, be prepared to invest a significant amount of time working out the details of your site’s structure.

It is wise to create a detailed flow chart of the site and submit it to all employees for review. This will provide you with valuable feedback about the placement of each detail and will prevent the frustration of having to insert an overlooked category later in the development of the site.

Flow charts are a diagram of the site showing general headlines and links between sites. They can be linear like the one pictured here or take on a web-like appearance as multiple pages are linked together. Choose the format that best fits your needs.

It is easiest to set up your site for future growth at the beginning of your project. Carefully consider all elements you want in your current site and may want to implement at a later date. If planned for in advance, your site can be structured so that such growth is easy to accommodate.

An effective Web site targets its specific audience. This presents a unique challenge when there are multiple diverse audiences. For example, a company may wish to serve employees and existing clients as well as potential clients. It is necessary to consider the information needs of each subgroup and to insure that the site’s structure provides easy access to all.

If implemented well, navigation tools will make even the most complex sites easy to navigate. These tools will largely be determined by the structural plan for your site. The tools should be easy to locate and remain consistent throughout the site. Rollovers, drop down menus, and other dynamic effects may add a feeling of interactivity in the site. Choose your style of navigation to fit the nature of your business.

A common mistake is to assume that if a site looks good on one computer it will look good on all. This can result in design flaws that distract from the content of your site and ultimately discourage viewers from returning to your site. There are three very important things to consider:

BROWSERS – Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, MSN, and AOL can provide very different views of the same site. It is important to test your design in multiple browsers.

RESOLUTIONS – The DPI (dots per inch) that a monitor is set at will greatly alter the size of images as well as text.

TEXT – Do not be tempted to use exotic fonts for regular text. You can only be sure that font is available on your computer. If another computer does not have that font, it will randomly select another. For short titles, text can be saved as an image to appear consistent on all computers.

Though serif fonts are the easiest to read in printed material, a sans-serif text is the easiest to read on the computer screen. Common sans-serif fonts used on the Internet include Arial, Helvetica, Verdana and Geneva. Examples of serif fonts commonly used on the Internet are Times New Roman, Courier, and Georgia.

IMAGES – There are many sites that offer free graphics for you to use on your site. It is important to ask permission before using a graphic from a site that does not specify that their images are free. Stock photos are a good way to add a personal touch to a site. Visit istockphoto.com for a large bank of reasonably priced stock photos.

A common mistake of beginning web designers is to assume that simply shrinking the size of an image on a page will diminish its file size as well. This is not true. In order to shrink the size of a file, you must take an image into image altering software. Otherwise, you may have a small image that takes a long time to download.

If you plan to use your own photos on your site, it is wise to have the written permission of those who will have personal information posted. Click here for a sample photo release form. It is generally a good idea to avoid posting photos and names of children without parental consent.

MOTION – Avoid overuse of animations. They can distract the viewer from the focus of your site. Motion can be fatiguing to the eye and reduce the time a person may spend on your site. If motion is used, it should have a specific purpose and be tastefully implemented. .

BACKGROUNDS – Professional sites rarely have a patterned background. Patterns can interfere with the readability of a site. There are more effective means of adding color and personality to a site tastefully.

SOUND – Sound effects and music should be used only if they are meaningful and useful in the site. It is dangerously easy to overdo it in this area. If you choose to use music in your site, it is wise to provide visitors with an option to turn it off. Otherwise, they may leave your site prematurely.

Home | Free Consultation | Doing Business | Resources/Advice | Services | Portfolio | Contact