August 30, 2003

IT SEEMS as if anyone can make a web page these days, but to create something extraordinary requires creative thinking, loads of time, hard work and knowledge of the art of development. Interestingly, there is no hard and fast rule as to how you go about creating your websites. However, few useful tips and guidelines always come in handy.

Gone are the days when people thought of attracting millions of people to their websites without any additional advertisements; web was young back then. It’s all together a different ball game now. Today the web is all about competition and marketing. This medium has emerged as a best source for promoting your brand and products. It is no longer about just building a business website, rather it is about providing people a reason to visit your web page frequently.

A business website is a passive form of marketing, providing you with a signboard on which you can market your products and/or services. For that purpose a website should be used in conjunction with several active forms of marketing. So before you put yourself to task, read through these guidelines that will help you a long way in building a good business site.

Purpose for development: The concept and the purpose of creating a website should always be very clear in your mind. A business website can be created with the motive of attracting a new business or service customers, or to share specialized knowledge; to pursue personal interests, or promote a viewpoint, project, candidate, etc. In fact a website can simply be created to make a connection with other people or networks.

Define your goals: Goals are more measurable than purpose, and will give you a clearer target. Write out a “mission statement”. Until you clearly know your destination, you can’t develop a good road map, and you’ll end up all over the place.

Identify your target audience: Understanding your goals and your audience will form the foundation for all your design decisions, the tone of your site, its structure, its graphic design, its content. You need to know what your visitors would be doing on your site and what your site has in store for them. In order to attract them you need to know about their interests by collecting visotors’ personal data, such as age, culture, education, etc. If you have have all this, you are already ahead of 80 per cent of the mishmash out there!

Setting tone for site: For a most effective website you should decide on an overall tone for your pages. This will not only guide the style of your content, but also your design and graphic decisions as well. You should expect a search engine to look different from Disney World’s website. Not only content wise but also in terms of animation, interactivity and the tone of the site which should be determined by your purpose (sell, convince, entertain, inform, etc.), your subject (serious, fun, technological, etc.), and your audience.

This mission statement, in other words, will help you determine the following important components which will serve your designing purpose effectively:

— Colour scheme: Should it shout or whisper? Reflect liveliness, prestige, serenity? Wild psychedelics or conservative monotones?

— Graphics: You will find out whether your graphics, typography, and “gimmicks,” should follow goofy entertaining style or a nature retreat?

— Mood: Make your site a visual metaphor for your message and audience mood “funky” or “conservative.”

— Design elements: It also helps you determine your consistent design elements, such as logo, background, navigation buttons, etc.

Page layout and design: People read web pages differently from hardcopy print material. They “scan” and take “bites” they don’t like to scroll. A designer should make sure to provide bite-sized sections prominently marked and separated, and the sections should be consistent across the site (that is on each page, a consistent design and layout format should be followed with similar items at the relevant place.)

It is rather suggested to develop each web page just a few screens long with white spaces, and decent graphics to put across important ideas. The paragraphs should designed be explicitly with lists or tables on suitable positions. It is recommended to design for 640x480 monitors so it doesn’t scroll sideways.

Backgrounds: A white background increases readability and makes the page elements stand out. Coloured and patterned backgrounds can enhance a moods. For serious website which is aimed at larger group of audience, make sure you don’t compromise on readability factor, even at lower resolutions.

If you use a background image, and have changed text colour to be seen against it, set the background colour to match the image, to assure that “no image loading” users can still see your text.

Logo: Design a logo for your site, which is an identifying graphic that symbolizes your company or message. On the main page, try a larger version of this logo, maybe as part of a title banner across the top. On sub-pages, try a smaller version, let the pervasive presence of the logo integrates your site.

Navigation aids: This includes elements, such as buttons, bars, image maps, etc. These should be identical in look and placement across all the pages, and provide users a way to get around your site with out being confusing or getting lost, and at least go up to the home or index page, back to the previous page when appropriate, ahead to the next page, perhaps to other “main” pages.

Place a navigation bar of buttons or text links on every page in the same place, or put it in an unchanging frame. This might be one of the few valid uses for frames. Perhaps you can also use an image map. Don’t forget to provide text alternatives for “no image loading” users.

Always provide a way out for users to know where they are. Navigation bars, maps, logo and title size all can indicate the level of the page and how it relates to others.

Web publishing: This differs from writing for print. Web publishing allows you to conveniently and cheaply make widely available accurate, up-to-date, dynamic information, in an entertaining as well as informative way. But you can not just translate printed material directly to effective web pages.

Inverted pyramid structure: Provide links to allow the user to choose if they want more background or detail. Novices will want links to basic explanations, advanced users might want more complex background. Remember if you have a multi-page site that visitors may not start at the beginning, make sure your pages can stand alone, and that you provide easy navigation and links.

Put as much content towards the top of a hierarchy as is possible and provide useful content on each page seen by your audience (with the possible exception of an opening ‘splash’ screen.)

The Web is dynamic: Keeping your material up-to-date is a must. Highlight new stuff, and/or feature it on your home page in a “What’s new” area.

Links: Write as if there were no links, but just meaningful text. Not “click here for info on our training programs,” but “our training programs have something for everyone” with the words “our training programs” a link to your catalogue of programs.

Use standard link colours when possible; if you change the colours or use complicated tricks to avoid underlining, you’ll confuse users. Make it easy for your visitors to send you comments, with “mail-to” links and/or a “feedback” form. Listen to them. Then always respond!

The writer is a professional webmaster.