Author: Kirin Knapp

Sometimes what you need is a good checklist. I love lists, especially when it comes to learning something new. There's no better way to make sure you've done it all than a checklist.

I thought I would go through a list of twenty things that you should keep in mind and do for your website. A lot of this stuff I am sure you've heard before, but that doesn't make it bad information - there's probably a reason you've heard it so many times.

If you're new to building a website, or even if you've made a ton of them, there are always mistakes made. I'm by no means saying I am perfect, but these are some issues I have come across in my own designs, and in other people's work as well. They're just good guidelines.

I'm breaking the list up into Appearance, and Structure. I understand that not all of you are doing the code for your website, but read the structure section anyway. There are some good tips to keep in mind when doing design or the code, or both. Let's get started already!

Appearance

Beginning, Middle and End:

The header, content and footer, to put it into web design terms. Your eyes start in one spot, flow to the next, and end at the next. This is important for any kind of design.

Hierarchy:

If you want something to stand out on a page, make sure it does just that. It might compete with something else visually on the page, or is difficult to find, so do something that brings attention to it. Colors, shapes, text.

Ads:

If your site has ads on it, try to make them blend as well as possible without hiding them. They're on your website for a reason, and that's to get clicks. Maybe try designing a container that holds the ads, and matches the rest of the site.

Images:

Don't make images too large for general viewing. The visual size or the file size. "Save for web" as much as possible, while still maintaining image quality.

Readability:

There are a lot of websites out there that are hard to read. This could be because of font choice and size or because of color, or a mix of it all. Be sure there's enough contrast between the color of the text and the background, and that the letters are large enough for people to read. If your eyes burn when you look at the webpage, you've made the wrong choice.

Keep it Clean:

Make the design clean. You want people to easily find their way around the site. The site ought to be easy to navigate, even if the design is more complex with a lot going on. It should always be obvious. You don't want people leaving and never returning, especially if it's something you could have avoided.

Structure

Links:

Make the links stand out in some way. You're linking so people can get places either on your site or to external sites, so make them slightly different from the rest of the text. Color change, weight change, underline, whatever it takes. It doesn't need to stand out like a sore thumb, just make it easy to see.

Navigation:

Keep your navigation consistent. Always put links to other pages in the same place in the menu. In fact, be sure your menu is always in the same place. Also, be sure you link everything the same. For instance, if you link the image and the text to a location, always link the image and the text, don't decide to not link the image one time. Consistency is key.

Search Box:

This may seem like a no-brainer, but put a search box up on your site. Allow people to browse the rest of what you have to offer with ease.

File Sizes:

Keep your file sizes down. Those people on the dial-up connections struggle to much of anything on the internet, so you should try to make it a little easier on them. There's no sense in someone waiting 10 minutes for a webpage to load. It should be up in less than a minute.

Optimize:

Search Engine Optimization is extremely important for any website. Use "title" and "alt" tags, simplify URL's by separating the words with dashes (change thisisanarticle into this-is-an-article). Label everything clearly. Make it easy for search engines to find your website.

Update Frequently:

Whatever you do, do not make your website and then leave it to fend for its own. It needs to be maintained and updated frequently. And frequently doesn't mean every day, but at least once a week is helpful - especially if you want people to visit often.

Keep it Clean:

Yes, this was a part of the appearance too, but this is really important with the code. There are a lot of messy webpages out there because of the code. You might think you're going to be the only one ever updating the site, or altering it, but you never know when someone else might need to edit it as well. Label codes clearly, put things on separate lines where you can, make it easy to read.

Well, I hope you find this useful. These are all things I keep in mind when I am working on any website.

Enjoy!

About the Author:
Kirin Knapp is a graphic designer for the iEntry Network, publishing company of FlashNewz. A flash animator and illustrator, she is the creator of her home site, Inkdu.com. "