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Online Newsletter
April, 1996
- Creating Memorable Web Pages
- Creating Memorable Web Pages - Tips and Techniques
- Resource List - Some of our favorite books and references
Tips for Creating Memorable Web Pages
- Before you ever start creating a web page, spend time on the Internet looking at what other people have done. Notice what you like and don't like about other pages.
- Ask yourself: What image am I trying to convey by my web page? Are you trying to show that you have stunning photographs and graphics, or impart information to your readers?
- What do you want your readers to remember? (Examples: Your page took so long to download, that they pushed the 'stop' button before it finished -or- your page was easy to navigate -or- your page gave good information in an easy-to-read format.)
- Design a "theme" around your message, your business, your interests. The theme includes background color, graphic images, bullets, dots and photographs as well as text size and color.
- Draw a map of your page, showing all the links and branches.
- Keep the links simple, with a link to get back to your home page.
- Say something interesting and uniquely you.
- Simple example for a business website: show a "table of contents" with links for further information in each category (products, multiple locations, clients/customers, speakers, newsletters, ordering), etc.
- If nothing is provided at the link, add a comment "this link is empty now" rather than have someone go there, then find out it is empty or "under construction." Better yet, don't make an automated link look like a link until it is real.
- Avoid displaying "under construction" messages. When you put up a page that says "under construction" - you insult potential readers. This conveys the impression that you don't know what you are doing. Is that the impression you want to give? Make it presentable and don't publicize it until you've finished testing it.
- Make the links "natural" - that is, a logical progression that makes sense.
- Provide a name, title or comment for your graphics (for readers who turn off the pictures).
- Use the smallest graphics possible to reduce download time. Edit them with a graphics package if necessary.
- If using graphics as "hot links" also provide a text description and link for those who turn off graphics or have slower modems. They will remember you for your consideration.
- Think, Think, Think!!! Plan your pages on paper first before wasting your own valuable time and money and that of your potential customers.
- Provide links to other related pages, such as others in your industry, major clients or customers, business associates, related resources, etc.
- Check out all your links to other pages periodically.
- Provide an easy way for people to send you comments via a feedback page. Let your website grow as you get feedback.
- Show the date your page was last updated.
- Provide an Internet link to contact your "web master" or person responsible for your web content.
- Provide easy ways for people to contact you with Internet links to e-mail as well as your company name, key people's names, telephone number and mailing address.
- If you provide a way for people to sign up on your mailing list (or sign up in any way), provide a statement about how you use their information and how you safeguard their privacy. See privacy for a sample.
- On secondary pages, provide links to related pages (in addition to a way to get back to the home page).
- Update your pages regularly.
- Test, test, test!!! Try different browsers to see how well the page works.
- Remember to spell-check and grammar-check the text in your web pages. Can you expect to impart a professional image with misspelled words and easy-to-correct grammatical errors?
- Re-check your page every time you make a change, regardless of how minor, to verify that it is working correctly.
- Have as many people as possible critique your page before you launch it.
- Set up a standard 'default' home page name (usually named "index.html" or "default.htm" depending on your Internet service). This helps make your web site address as short as possible and as easy for others to remember as possible. For example, with a default address you can call this web site via "http://www.itstime.com" rather than "http://www.itstime.com/index.html." On newer versions of Netscape, all you have to type is "itstime" to get to our home page.
- If you use frames, offer a non-frames option to your readers. Many people still have older browsers - don't shut them out!
- If you use Java or Active-X programming, offer a non-Java, non-Active-X version. Otherwise, you will shut out people who turn those options off for security reasons or do not have browsers supporting those technologies.
- Register your website with ICRA if your content is suitable for general audiences.
- Offer a search engine for large sites.
Tips for Building an Audience and
Maintaining Your Web Presence
- After your web page has passed all the tests - for design, download speed, browser compatibility, format, usability, etc. - list your page on Internet indexing services. We provide a link to more than 100 Search Engines.
- Let everyone know that you have a web site and how to find it. Provide the URL address in the correct format http://www.itstime.com or www.itstime.com)
- Periodically re-check to see that your web site is listed correctly in the major search engines.
- Send out press releases to local (or national) magazines and newspapers, if appropriate for your site.
- Add your Internet web address and e-mail address to your business cards and letterhead.
- Add your e-mail address and web address as part of your signature block on each e-mail message you send.
- Contact other sites similar to yours and ask for a "link exchange" (you list their web site on your web page and they list yours on theirs).
- Add new information to your site (for example, writing a monthly newsletter on your topic of expertise is one way).
- Offer a mailing list and send a monthly announcement of each month's new topic.
- Sponsor an e-mail discussion group about your favorite subject.
- When your web site grows to be complex, provide a site map for your readers.
Reading List - Resources/References —> See Book List
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