"What Makes a Good Web Site"-September 1996
Contact: Mike DiFrisco, Creative Services Director,
Financial Independence Network Limited
310 Second St., Boscobel WI 53805 Tel:(608)375-3100 e-mail:DebtFree01@aol.com
In
the past three months, I've been involved with two different Internet projects.
I've worked on a Web site for one of the world's largest computer manufacturers.;
I've also created my own Web site. In contrasting the two, I've come to
the following conclusions about what separates a good Web site from a bad
one:
A good Web site addresses specific issues and is made with a specific purpose in mind. The computer manufacturer wanted to have product specs up on the Web so that their worldwide sales force could have up-to-the-minute pricing and product information. For my personal site, I wanted clients to have instant access to writing samples, references, and photographs. I often have to get these items out fast and with FedEx charges attached. Three queries a month via the Net justifies my site's existence. Having a clear purpose for a Web site allows you to keep it simple, with content taking precedence over form. I cannot overemphasize this. The Web is no place to show off your design savvy (or lack of it.) If a design idea doesn't enhance contact, abandon it. The conventions used on the Web are designed with speed in mind. Large graphics and complicated or animated images eat up time and won't work on many browsers. If a design idea doesn't enhance contact, abandon it. For instance, a spinning graphic of a company logo doesn't help a computer sales-person sell a product. A button that takes them to product specifications and price lists does. Since a discussion of graphic design is beyond the scope of this column (and better done by FINL's Mike DiFrisco),here's a very brief rundown on what NOT to do:
- DON'T center-align everything, so that the page looks like a crossword puzzle
- DON'T use a graphic background unless you know something about design. For that matter, don't use anything but default colors unless you know something about the use of color. (If you insist on dabbling in backgrounds and color, have someone else look at the page. If they say it's hard to read, go back to the drawing board.)
- DON'T use large graphics! They take too long to download and cause the viewer to hit the BACK button. Also, don't overload the page with small graphics. Busy graphics look amateurish, whether on the Web or the printed page.
- Speaking of amateurish, DON'T use only header styles! You wouldn't dream of creating a newsletter with 36-point type -- don't do it on your Web page. Follow an outline format, and use no more than three different styles on a page. Also, use consistent styles from page to page. As with the rest of your marketing materials, your Web site should have an overall look and style to it (a simple straightforward style, that is).
Another aspect of a good Web site is that the links on the site and the information on the site are organized logically. This will take some doing. You need to put yourself in your visitor's shoes and figure out where they'll want to go as they move through your site. To complicate matters, you can't count on them entering your site through the home page. If someone is doing a Webcrawler search on "FINL," the search engine will reference all found pages that mention "FINL" -- and will go to those pages directly without going through the home page. Therefore, you need to have a "return" link to your home page on EVERY page of your site.
Also, look for logical "links" that your visitors will want to follow. For instance, the writing samples on my site have a link to the editor of the publication and a link to the publication's home page. This allows a potential client to get a feel for my writing style and a feel for the kind of publication that uses my work. (This is important because many publications emulate and/or compete with each other.) Everything on your site should be no more than two links apart.
Finally, a good Web site is constantly evolving. This is the time-consuming part. If the information on your site changes frequently, you need to be diligent about updating it. If you have outside links in your site, these links need to be checked regularly as well. You don't just want customers to come to your site once; you want them to come back. Have plenty of new information and new features and they'll come back.
Working on the Web is both challenging and exciting. It's also an environment where you learn by doing. If I can do it, so can you! Please stop by my Web site at http://www.charlesvermette.com, and make note of my new e-mail address: cvermette@comcast.net. And for an example of an uncluttered and logically organized Web page, check out FINL's site at http://www.debtfree.com.