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Tip
of the Month Archive When inserting content for a web page, always make sure that the column of text is not too wide. It is difficult for the eye to follow long lines of text, especially if the column is set on auto-stretch. Use invisible tables to contain your column. Never have text read from one side of the page to the other.
Never design your entry page in a frameset. Browsers detect popular pages and list them on demand as viewers search the net for information. It is possible for a browser to pick out the main body of your frameset, but not the other frames. If you don't have a link in this area back into your site, the visitor is left with no recourse but to click away. This can, of course, happen to any page in your site that the browser pick up, but it usually happens to the entry page.
Is it always a good idea to have a hit counter on your site? Not if you don't get a lot of visitors. If you are interested in the numbers, you can usually get this information in great detail through your server. Also, if you do place a hit counter, make sure it doesn't register every download. Some will count the page along with every graphic on the page as well, giving you inflated numbers.
Your message to the reader is all important. What else is your web site for? Do not distract the reader with animated GIFs or moving banners or blinking whatevers.
Do not use fancy typefaces for your content. Not only are they difficult to read, they probably will not be recognized by your visitor's system. For design purposes, make the fancy typefaces into a graphic — but something that does not take long to download.
There is nothing compelling about a list of links. Add some content so readers can get their bearings. Do not build a photo list comprised of hypertext links and expect visitors to go through them one-by-one. Use thumbnails instead, or build a gallery format.
Large interactive buttons may impress your friends but they detract from the design of your web site.
If you don't update your web site regularly people will not come back. |
