Ten steps toward a better web site design
Knowing what not to include is important

Are you thinking about opening a web site? Perhaps you already have one. Either way, knowing what to include and what not to include in your web site is very important. Whether you design the site yourself or you hire someone to do it, you should know these ten important points before you start.

The list is based on my own experience designing web sites.   As well, I get many ideas from some of the best designers in the business through online Internet discussion groups. These groups are a valuable resource and often point the way to using new technologies. Many of the people contributing to them are professional webmasters working for themselves or for large companies.

Newsletters are another useful source of information. For example, InternetDay www.internetday. com will send you an article every day by a different writer. Their articles are about 600-800 words long, so they don't take long to read. But they are often packed with useful news and information that can help you or your webmaster improve web site design and marketing.

So, what are the ten most important things to remember when designing a web site?

1) Do start with a fast loading opening page. It should introduce your site and explain what it is about. It should not have too many graphics and any that you use should be small enough to load fast. Visitors will not wait long for an opening page to load. Unfortunately, the trend among many Thai designers seems to be to have a big, beautiful picture on the opening page with very little or no text to tell the visitor what it is about. And then they wonder why they get so few repeat visitors.

2) Do choose your colours carefully. Colour is so important, yet some designers and their clients ignore it entirely. I was recently approached by a potential client who asked me to assess his web site for a redesign. Whoever designed it used a dull, boring grey background with black text and a white box to highlight the company name. How exciting! Your colours should reflect the image you want to project of your business, or they should match your corporate livery. For example, the ThailandExportGuide.Com www.thai landexportguide.com/ web site uses the same colours as the Thai flag in its logo. And then it uses light pastel colours coded for each section.

3) Don't force your visitors to navigate around your web site by pressing the Back button after viewing a page. You should provide site and page links on every page giving access to everything else on your web site. And make sure your menus are consistent. Don't change the position of the menu items from page to page. If you have a long page, provide a menu at the top of the page with a link to each item further down. Then provide a link in each screen to return to the top of the page. A very good example of this can be seen at www.gt-thai.com/whatsnew.html.

4) Don't use frames unless you have a very good reason. Internet surveys consistently cite frames as one of the pet hates of many web surfers. Why? Because they are not supported by all browsers. And because it is so easy to get trapped inside a frame when you try to visit another site by clicking on a link. Instead of opening a new screen, you remain in the frame and the new web site appears inside it. So you finish up with a site designed for full screen viewing displayed inside a much smaller screen area. Many web sites, like www.jamsessionmusic.net/, provide a link to help you escape from a frame. But it is better not to use them in the first place.

5) Do use web-optimised graphics. This means that any graphics displayed on your site should be as small as practical. You should reduce the number of colours used to the bare minimum. For example, if you have a logo that uses only three or four colours you can reduce the number of colours to 16 and the logo will still look perfect. This will reduce the file size and speed up loading.

6) Don't place your text on the screen and then center everything down the page. This is a sure sign of an amateur designer. A web page should be designed just like you would design a magazine page. The elements should be placed on the page so that they lead the eye to information you want your visitor to read or look at. Use columns, headlines, and pictures placed dynamically on the page. You want your web site to look interesting, don't you?

7) Do provide a way for visitors to contact you on every page. Place an email link at the bottom of each page with an invitation to write to you. There is nothing more frustrating than to visit a site and then find you can't send a comment or request to the people running it.

8) Do encourage visitors to bookmark your web site by displaying a prominent sign telling them to press Ctrl-D to bookmark. This will automatically save the current URL (the address) into their bookmark file. Then they can quickly find you the next time they want to visit your web site. You will get many more repeat visitors if you make it easy for them to find you again.

9) Do provide a "privacy statement" on your site if you sell goods or services over the Internet and expect visitors to give you their credit card information. You can see a sample of a privacy statement at www.holtww.com/services.html and then click on the "Order Services SSL" button. Click on the link at the bottom of the page to read the privacy statement. A privacy statement tells visitors what you do with the information they are asked to provide and how you protect it. And make sure you do exactly what you state. Having a privacy statement will increase dramatically your chances of getting an order.

10) Do provide a space on your opening page where you can tell visitors about new ideas or products. You should change this information at least once a month, as this will draw visitors back again. Doing this will also help you get listed higher in search engine results.

The search engines look for web sites that are changed often. If you have the same web site today that you started out with two years ago, you are much less likely to be listed in the top 30 search engine results.

Of course, there are many other things to keep in mind when designing a web site. But remember that what you present to the public and how you do it will determine how successful your site is. A poorly designed site is sure to drive visitors away and lose you business.

Just one more "Don't" before I go. Price, while it is important, should not be your main criteria for deciding on a designer. And, unless you are a professional designer, it is much better to hire someone to do the job properly for you. Would you attempt to repair your own TV if you are not qualified? The same thing applies to web site design. Let a professional do it for you and that is what you will get: A professional result.