Web Development
Philosophy
A web site is only as effective as the words,
pictures, and navigation on each page. While the look of a site is very important, the feel is even
more so.
Look and feel of a site is based on several factors:
- Site colors that enhance the reader's experience
- Site navigation to prevent "lost in cyber space"
- Navigation should not depend on the "Back" button
- Page contents provide instant information
- Site pictures provide additional information
- Home page identifies site's purpose
- Home page arouses interest
- Site uses the "three-click" rule
A flashy site may be very attractive to younger viewers but intrusive and
boring to older and professional-type viewers. If a viewer comes to your
site for information and must wade through several links and levels to find that
information, he or she may go to another site rather than waste time
"looking" for hard-to-find information.
A site should conform to the W3C HTML guidelines in order to be viewed with
minimum problems on the most popular browsers. While Internet Explorer (IE) has
the majority of the browser market today, there are still several well-known and
well-liked browsers (and Netscape is gaining.). Each browser has different ways to handle the same HTML
code. While the differences are often minor, these differences can be
disruptive and confusing to the viewing of a site.
Another serious problem with many web sites is they are infrequently updated.
The same information is always there and the site looks like it was posted and
forgotten. This is why site maintenance is important. Content on at least the
home page should change weekly or monthly so regular viewers know the site is
considered important.
JavaScript should only be
used to enhance a viewer's experience, not to show off the site or the web
designer.
While a site should not depend on scripting, it can be used to provide additional information in a user-friendly fashion.
Why, because some readers disable all scripting to prevent being infected with viruses.
An effective web site does not need to be costly. Simple sites can
convey the same information as complex sites. While the initial startup cost of
a site can appear to be expensive, it is usually less expensive than a large ad
or an insert in the local paper. While the ad or insert will usually be
forgotten before the next edition, a web site is still there and still providing
information. Do not interpret this statement to mean that you should stop
all local radio and newspaper ads once you have a web site. No!
Those ads are still very important but you should now include in those ads your
web address so your customers can access your company's product and service
information at any time. Also, your web site allows potential customers to
find out more about you than can be easily included in other media ads.
These are but some thoughts and views on web site design. While a web
site can be an effective advertising tool, it does not have the immediate
effect that flyers and media ads do. A site takes time to be recognized
and to show up on the major search engines.
However, there are many long term benefits:
- 24/7 customer availability
- Local and global audience
- Quick and cost-effective to update
- Low cost advertising media
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