| Some important dos and don'ts for effective web | | | | Optimize your HTML & script code: Make sure that |
| designing | | | | your site shouldn't have any unwanted tags or |
| Dos: | | | | unused scripts. |
| Fast loading web site designs: Designs should be | | | | Compress your image file: If the graphics takes much |
| well-optimized for the web and should not take more | | | | time to load it becomes annoying to the readers so |
| than 15 seconds to load. | | | | get some graphic software to compress your file. |
| Design for all Screen Resolutions: Design your site | | | | GifBot, Windows: HVS GifCruncher and JPEG Wizard. |
| according to all screen resolutions. The best way to | | | | Macintosh: GraphicConverter is very beneficial for this |
| do this is to design your site in terms of percentage | | | | purpose. |
| and not pixels. Stretch layouts that fit any screen | | | | Minimize the use of images: It is wise enough to use |
| resolution ensure a visually appealing and professional | | | | simple designs to keep your site simple and neat. |
| site. | | | | Juxtapose contrasting colors and simple backgrounds: |
| Use readable and professional looking fonts: Always | | | | To make your text easy to read and get prominent |
| try to use common and professional web fronts | | | | effect, juxtapose contrasting colors and simple |
| should be available in visitors' computer else web site | | | | backgrounds. Most acceptable color combinations are |
| will use the default font which is worst. Don't use | | | | as follows: |
| Comic Sans and other fancy fonts rather use most | | | | Red, yellow and white |
| common fonts like: Arial and Verdana. | | | | Blue and white |
| Make your text large enough to read: Use large text | | | | Red, grey and white |
| for the readers keeping your head CSS rules, 12 or | | | | Blue, orange and white |
| 13px for Arial, 11x12 for Verdana | | | | Yellow, grey and white. |
| Use of white space: Make a good combination of | | | | If your company has a logo with particular color- |
| white space and your content in order to give a | | | | start form there for color combination. |
| sense of professional page-make. Spaciousness, | | | | Use templates: Use some websites that specialize in |
| increase line spacing and overall neatness inculcate | | | | designing templates |
| readability. | | | | Search Feature & Site Map: In case of more than 15 |
| Put a Menu on every page: Clever web designing | | | | pages using of Search Feature & Site Map is |
| demands menu on every page to understand the | | | | beneficial for it ensures the visitor- particulars they |
| content at a glance and make navigation easy and | | | | are looking for. |
| choiceable. | | | | Test your links at least once in a month. |
| Include a way to get back to the home page, on | | | | Put your contact info, or a link to it, on the top and |
| every page: When users get lost in the web spider, | | | | or bottom of every page |
| they try to come back at first so include a way on | | | | Include a "Last Modified" date on the top or bottom |
| every page to get back to the home page. | | | | of your pages |
| Remove dead external links periodically: If you link to | | | | Don'ts |
| any external site use software to automatically | | | | - Don't use flash intros, revolving globes, animated |
| check your links to external site to see any of them | | | | boxes, and beveled line separators. |
| have snapped. | | | | - Don't clutter your pages with big, bulky images that |
| Clear Navigation: Your important links should be placed | | | | take much time to load |
| on prominent places, preferably right on top. | | | | - Don't use image backgrounds and busy |
| Make links blue or underlined, or both: Use blue and | | | | backgrounds. |
| underline to the links instead of using words like "link" | | | | - Don't annoy your visitors with pop-up windows |
| or "here" or "click here" as the link text. | | | | - Don't use framesets. |