Beyond the Sig ~ Part 7: Do's and Don'ts

DO...

• Keep your design simple yet attractive. People will come back if your site has that "professional" touch.
• Proofread/preview your pages before publishing. Are links in proper place? Do they work? Are images and text aligned properly? Are there any spelling or grammar errors?
• Provide ample navigation. When I made my first site, I was guilty of having little or no navigation on my pages. J-boxes, buttons, even simple text links can be used.
• Provide contact information on all your pages, e.g., your email address.
• Give credit where credit is due. If you use another person's scripts, images, banners, etc. please give that person credit via a linkback or other acknowledgment.
• Provide some form of interactive features. Guestbooks, polls, a feedback survey, a discussion forum, a game or two, a mail form, a quiz, etc.
• Provide the ALT attribute for all images. Some visitors, especially PC users, may have images disabled on their browsers. The ALT attribute shows that there is an image on your page. Otherwise the visitor will only see that red X.
• Provide width and height dimensions for all images. Images – and your page – will load faster if these are included.
• Keep up with your HTML lessons. Your skills will get better and page building will become easier.

DON'T...

• Get carried away with images and sounds. A page loaded with graphics takes longer to load. If you have a graphics collection, provide descriptive text links or reduce graphics to click-able thumbnails.
• Forget to provide navigation links. A visitor can get lost on your site if there isn't at least a "Back to my Home Page" link.
• Use backgrounds and/or background colors that make the text difficult to read. If possible make the background color light and text dark. On dark backs, use a lighter text color.
  Same goes for link colors. Don't use a standard blue link on a black background. Too often, I've had to highlight (CMD+A) to read the text and links. Don't make your visitors suffer like this. You will lose them for sure.
• Forget to align images, text, tables, etc. Lots of space gets wasted if an image is on top but the visitor has to scroll down, down, down...to read your text.
• Neglect your links pages. Sometimes a webmaster – to whose site you're linking – will change hosts or delete the site altogether, leaving you with a useless dead link. It would help to alert your visitors to contact you Re: dead links.

There, you now have all the tools and tips for successful site-building. If you need any help, please ask those who have built sites over the years. Don't be afraid to ask basic questions: That's what the online community is for. And don't be afraid to ask your PC friends for help. Just keep learning and sharpening your skills. Good luck on making your first site!