Authoring
for the web
How to get your page
read
The World Wide Web is a unique
publishing opportunity, anyone with access to the internet can publish whatever
they want, from the recipe for carrot cake (yes, I've looked) to the fringe
ranting of extreme politics. There are literally millions of pages - so
how do you ensure yours is the one that is read?
Most surfers are looking for
information or entertainment. I appreciate there are purely music sites
and if you want to spend a week downloading the complete works of Deep Purple,
then go ahead. There are also sites designed by professional artists
with a high wow factor.
For the rest of us, text is the
most important content. Try to resist the temptation to overload your page
with graphics, sounds and banners. If the page takes ages to download then
surfers will catch another wave. I know I do.
As well as the content, context is
important. A company home page will look and feel different to your
personal home page.
Here are Ken's top ten
tips for authoring homepages:
- Write about topics
that interest you - if you don't care why should your readers.
- Write with passion -
if something excites you, tell people about it.
- Find your own voice -
we all have a unique voice, but beware of e-slang like cuz/pix/U it
soon grates and don't be offensive. It only takes a mouse click to move on.
- Spelling - use the
spell checker, there really is no excuse not to.
- Grammar - at least try
to string your thoughts together in logical fashion.
- Punctuation - I know
its boring, but try to avoid lots of exclamation marks! They soon lose
impact! And if you pause for thought do you really need to...
- Avoid using capital
letters - DON'T SHOUT!
- Keep pages to a single
topic.
- Take it easy with all
those format functions in your HTML editor.
- Avoid endless screens
of text - content is King but no one likes scrolling through pages of text.
Try it and see how far you get.
Here are Steph's top ten
tips for website design:
- Consistency of style -
this can help visitors feel accustomed to where everything is on the site.
- Use well suited colour
combinations - make text easy to read.
- Regularly check
external links - the other site you've linked to may not be there anymore.
- Update regularly -
Sites for interest and hobbies need to be changed regularly which can
encourage visitors to return.
- Use 'Alt' labels -
this provides an alternative for visitors who switch off/haven't equipment
that supports graphics.
- Blinking text/graphics
can be irritating when trying to read the content of a page.
- Try not to use large
graphics files - they can be made smaller by altering the size or decreasing
the colours. Thumbnails are another option which give the viewer the choice
of viewing bigger versions of the pictures.
- Avoid overly
complex/unclear navigation on your site.
- Keep the alignment of
each page consistent throughout - it can make a page look much tidier.
- Check your site using
different browsers - they may look completely different in another.
The
Three Bees
Remember
your web page is a presentation so:
Here are a some of my
favourite links on the subject, but the best way to learn is to find the sites
that capture your imagination, give you information and persuade you to return
again and again.
Style
Guide for Online Hypertext
A friendly manual by
Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web.
Web
Pages that Suck
Learn by others'
mistakes, and don't use words like suck!
Losers
Check out the design
section and fall about. You can nominate pages but not this one
please.
Web
Home Improvement
A very clean crisp
site which 'walks the talk'. Lots of design tips arranged in categories.
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Be
good