Six simple steps when planning a new web site…

Many small companies and sole proprietors now prefer to put their web site together themselves, not only to cut down on expenses but also to keep control over their site, making it easier and cheaper to make regular small amendments. There are several on-line templates available, either included as part of a hosting package or as off the shelf software, which are relatively easy to use. Here’s some ideas which may help the new designer…

1) Draft out your thoughts on paper first of all. Get the index (opening or home) page right and then map out subsequent pages from there. Take a look at other sites on the internet for some style ideas. Ask a friend or colleague to review your site before you upload it - they can more easily spot missed errors!

2) Make sure that the index page clearly states your company and its purpose. The visitor needs to confirm straight away that they are on the right site for their requirements, otherwise they may quickly click away.

3) Don’t make the pages too long. The page should roughly fit the screen - too much scrolling can put the viewer off! Much better to have several pages with smaller amounts of information rather than one long one.

4) Make sure all the hyperlinks work - if a visitor gets frustrated with too many dead ends, there’s more chance they will leave your site. Try not to have too many external hyperlinks - keep the viewer on your site. If you choose to offer a chance to click away, make sure that it’s always in a new window so once the new page is closed down, your site remains there for further viewing.

5) Use jpeg and gif image files, where possible, to keep the time it takes to download a page to a minimum. Some viewers use browsers that don’t display images so it’s good practice to use the HTML Alt tags to describe the images on your site. Use good quality images and avoid having too many flashy gimmicks which can put some visitors off.

6) Frequent mentions of your company name on each page will help the search engines find you. The HTML Meta tags are important but use no more than about 20 keywords. New thought suggests that having a video on your site will also attract the search engines to it.

Remember…keep the site simple and user friendly!