The Do’s and Don’ts of Website Building
If you’re building a website, you probably want people to visit it. While search engine optimization and marketing techniques can help you get traffic and clicks, it’s up to you to make sure people stay on your website once they visit it. The design, set up, and content are the most important aspects to consider when building your website.
If you’re a beginner at website building, it’s recommended that you use a website builder that comes free from your web host. They are simpler and easier to use than outside builder software. If you’re a more advanced website builder, it’s good to use a standalone website building program that can provide more flexibility and creativity. A popular choice is Microsoft’s Expressions Web , an updated version of the popular Front Page.
Whether you’re an expert of a beginner, there are some key do’s and don’ts to take into consideration before launching your website. DO keep it simple and free of clutter—the less text the better. DO make it easy to look at and eye pleasing. Stay away from flashy fonts and colors—again, the simpler, the better. DO use colors that complement each other and don’t take away from the content of the page. DO directly display what your site is for. Customers don’t want to scroll around to find what they’re looking for, so make it easily available for them. DON’T use Flash animations—they may be fun to create and look at, but most users see a loading box and immediately navigate away. DON’T use music or sound—it’s okay to insert the option to play sounds or music but when you click a site and music starts blaring the reaction is generally a negative one. DON’T use slow loading graphics. If you use graphics for visual appeal or links, be sure to condense the image size so you reduce the time it takes to load without losing the quality. Lastly, DO NOT use pop ups on your website. They are extremely annoying and will drive visitors away faster than you can find the ‘x’ in the corner of the pop up box.