Web site construction is a multi-
faceted realm of subjectivity. There are few
concrete rules in development outside of getting the code right. The rest is a matter of individual
style. Nonetheless, here are some basic
suggestions worth considering.
- Consider your target audience. Is this site business or personal?
- Business
- Visually, it should have a relatively tasteful style representative of the goods/services offered.
- Content should be geared primarily towards said goods/services.
- A well constructed FAQ section is a valuable tool for potential buyers and can eliminate tons of redundant common inquiries.
- For large sites, a site map and/or a site search feature is also recommended.
- Personal
- Everyone has likes and dislikes that they want to share with the world. Wonderful. Now, tell us what's behind them.
Lousy example: "I like toast." Boring!!!
Better example: "Warm toast with sugar and cinnamon, the way Mom used to fix, gives me a comfortable, nostalgic feeling."
- A "slam book" with thought provoking questions is far more interesting and interactive than any stale guest book. Just please spare your visitors the same old drivel such as: "How do you like my site?" and "Tell me about your first kiss."
- Write in the same manner in which you speak, provided it is relative to your site content and target audience.
- Give your visitors a reason to return, whether it be games, a club, chat, email or whatever.
- Create well defined topic sections that can be easily maneuvered with either frames or a navigation bar.
- Regularly check your links!
- Use alt tags for image descriptions - there are more disabled people online than ever before... Help make it easier for them to enjoy your site!
- Use meta tags for better search engine tracking.
- Depending on the nature of your site, update it regularly, then re-submit it to the major search engines.