 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|||||||||
|
|
Key Elements of a Web SiteHome Page. The home page is your front door to the rest of the site. It should be appealing, interesting, and easy to navigate. It should clearly identify the person, organization, or agency that is responsible for the Web site's content. "Table of Contents." Although this is not usually a literal term that you'll find online, the site initially should give the visitor an idea of what information they can find online as they navigate to second or third level pages. A menu of items with links to secondary pages typically makes up the "table." This information typically appears on the home page. Some sites have a graphic design or animated image on the home page that leads visitors to a secondary page which lists the "table" and then enables the visitors to navigate the rest of the site from there. Second and Third Level Pages. Web sites present information to visitors on subsequent pages once they pass the home page. These areas are typically second and third level pages on the site. Consistency in design on all pages. All Web pages should have a consistent look and feel; that is, the viewer should not go to secondary pages and feel as though he or she has jumped to "another site." Consistent use of graphics, background images, colors for visited and unvisited links, and type fonts will help to give your Web site a uniform look. Easy Navigation. Web sites should be designed so that it is easy to navigate around the pages. A good rule of thumb is "no more than three clicks." That is, it should take no more than three clicks from the home page to get to the information that you want to present to visitors. Navigation links to related pages, the home page, and/or the site index should also be incorporated on every page. "Efficient" Web pages. Web pages are easy to view if it only takes a few scroll movements for viewing. A good rule of thumb is that a page should be presented on no more than three screens (or three scrolling movements) in order to be viewed in its entirety. (The size of your monitor is also a factor; however, keep in mind that many of your viewers will be using 14" or 15" monitors.) No Dead Ends. All links should be checked to make sure that visitors are led to an intended destination on the site. Navigation links should also be incorporated into the site design so that browsers do not end up stranded on a page with no place else to go except backwards. Navigation links back to the home page or a menu of items should be planned for all second or third level pages when designing a site. Mapping your site out on paper or designing a site outline in advance will help you in this endeavor. E-mail addresses. E-mail tags for key contacts should be used whenever possible. Site Index. A complete listing of every page that is on the site set in an orderly fashion; along with hotlinks to all pages online. This is especially valuable for large sites with vast amounts of information. Some site indexes are set up in an outline format (and are sometimes referred to as site maps); others are set up as alphabetic indexes with hotlinked topics listed accordingly. Metatags. Use metatag description keywords to drive traffic to your site. Also, write a content description sentence (META NAME) that will be picked up as a page description by search engines. Coded Page Title. Always code a "page title" for your page. This title pops up on the browser's status bar when it is viewed. It is also the title of your Web page when it is viewed on a "search results" page. Posting Dates. Promote the timeliness of your online information. Include dates on your Web site. For pages posted the first time, you might want to include a notation that reads: "Online June 1999." As information is revised, you can replace the online date with a revision date, i.e., "Revised 5/1/00." Feedback Mechanisms. If possible, include a feedback form that can be utilized by visitors your site. This is a great way to find out what information visitors to your site use; what information they would like to see you add; or even to find out about broken links on your site. If you have a low budget site, then you can simply include a notation encouraging feedback and inviting browsers to submit their feedback by e-mail to the site's Web master (with an active e-mail tag of course). Help with Plug Ins. If your site includes "plug ins"such as Portable Document Format files (PDF), or Real Player Audio files, mention that fact near the associated links. Tell readers how large the files are (i.e., 70 K PDF), and also provide links to the sites that manufacture the plug ins so visitors can download these applications and use them on your site.
Links of Interest: Resources for ACS Chapter Webmasters
|
