Guidelines for Building a Web Site

The critical analysis of a web site does not determine its success or failure. Individual opinions and preferences in addition to user knowledge of the Internet play a big role in the rating of a web site.
In order to build a good web site for your business some specifics must always be considered:

1. The purpose of the web site
2. Its target audience

Once these are determined then additional components need to be established:

CONTENT

1. The content must reflect the purpose of the site in a way that will speak to its target audience.
2. There must be enough information that will serve up to the needs of its users.
3. The text must be free from spelling, grammatical and typographical errors.
4. The information must always be accurate and current.
5. Content must be easily found. User friendly navigation is usually appreciated by most visitors.
6. When too much information is displayed on the web site then a search function is needed.
7. The use of a font that can be easily read is very important. Some fonts may look nice and fancy, but are very difficult to read.
8. Placing too much information on one page need to be avoided. A page crowded with information may result in loss of visitors.
9. The purpose of each page must be easily identified by the visitor.

DESIGN

1. The design must be simple and clear.
2. Make sure that the colours and shapes you use are coordinated.
3. When using graphics always make sure to compress the image to ensure faster download time.
4. Make sure that the contact information can be easily located.
5. The page layout with the use of colours, fonts and images must be consistent through out the web site.
6. The graphics must be appropriate and relevant to the content of the site.
7. Ensure that there is an off switch when using music.
8. When using interactive features make sure you instructions are clear.
9. Plug-in requirements must be visible and clearly understood.
10. Seek input from user groups. Find out how others see the site in order to improve it.