Web Page Creation and Design
Suggestion for your pages
Always have a link pointing to a previous page or to another part on the site. You can’t always count on the Back button especially if the page was entered via a search query. Add a last date-updated field at the bottom of the pages that are date sensitive. You can add a timestamp by going to insert/timestamp. This will let the users know how current the information is. Don't make your pages more than 3 screens long. If the information can be broken down on multiple pages it will look better and it will be easier for the users. Especially if the user wants to print only one part of the page and he/she will not end up printing more than needed. Always run spellchecker on your pages. Always check your pages using both Internet Explorer and Netscape. The pages will not look the same on both; you may have to make provisions for it to look the best in both cases, not just in one environment. Always keep in mind the background and text color combination. Dark backgrounds and shiny letters may not be appropriate. Always print your pages to see what they will look like in print. White letters in dark backgrounds may print a blank page. Rename images to names that are obvious to most people. Never leave your computer unattended if you have the web drive where it can be accessed. Anybody that uses your computer with your signon can change the contents of your pages and/or add unwanted files to the Web site. Do not duplicate. If a graphic is already on the wwwroot under a different directory, point your page to that directory. If you are adding a graphic, add it to a directory where it can be easily found and reused. Keep in mind the little number on the bottom right corner of the pages; this will tell you how long it will take to load your page from home. If the number is too large try cutting down on the number of graphics or try to get the graphics smaller. The Resample function on FrontPage 2003 and newer versions will help to reduce the size of the images without loosing detail. If you are copying an image from another page, keep the original page open until you paste the image and save the new page. Images are kept on the clipboard with a temporary name; if the original page is closed, the properties of the image are lost and FrontPage will save the image with a new name causing duplication and confusion. Remember that background images will not print, but background colors will.
November 29, 2005