A Cut Above

by Chuck Davis, Webmaster
PeachWare Software (award program closed)
15 March 2001

Print Version

As a website evaluator, I have the privilege of viewing many different sites each month. Occasionally I get to view a site that is "a cut above" the rest. These sites are not necessarily fancy sites that dazzle the senses with elaborate multimedia presentations. Often the very best sites are quite simple, yet well planned and executed.

This article addresses the simple concepts that are behind almost every award-winning site I have evaluated.

Free Web Space Providers

Many fine sites start out on free hosting services. The advantage is that you can create your masterpiece at no cost. A disadvantage is that they impose advertising upon you. There are also other disadvantages associated with free hosting, including the lack of customized error messages, the freedom to sell advertising space as you see fit, the lack of cgi support, and other advanced features that a web master might wish to incorporate in a web site.

If you choose to go with a free service, take the time to investigate your options. Try to avoid services that require popup advertising windows because they tend to irritate the average visitor. Excessive advertising is a sure way to drive away web site evaluators as well!

If I Build It, They Will ...

The content of your site is what draws your visitors. A single, well-focused theme will deliver your message clearly and distinctly. If you must have multiple themes, at least be sure they are complimentary and divided into sections. Before you build the site, take some time to plan it out with pencil and paper. This simple step will save you hours of aggravation in the future.

Organization

Think about how you want to set up the file system for your web site. Although this may not seem important to you right now, six months from now it will make a world of difference. At the minimum, you should have a separate directory for your images. If you plan on having a multi faceted web site, consider a separate directory for each of the subjects you are presenting.

Think about your file naming convention as well. A page named "links.html" will be easier to remember than "page6.html" a few months from now! Using descriptive names can also help prevent accidental deletion of pages and images. Nothing kills a site evaluation faster than 404 errors!

Navigation

Navigation will make or break your site. The average visitor will not stay long if your navigation system is confusing or cumbersome. A good rule of thumb is that all major portions of your site should be available within two mouse clicks. Use the outline you made to help you set up the navigation. Keep it simple and easy to use.

If you use frames, be very careful! Make sure you target your hyperlinks correctly to prevent corrupt frames or the "site within the site" effect.

Page Weight

Page weight is something you should carefully consider when building your site. Don't try to cram everything onto one page. Your homepage should be an entry point, not the entire site! This mistake is often made by beginning web masters. Instead, use your outline and break the site into easily digestible chunks. Pages that take too long to load often cause your visitors to hit the back button.

How big is too big? This is a matter of personal preference, but if your pages take more than 30 seconds to load on a 56K modem ... you get the picture.

Try reusing images whenever possible to cut load times. You can also optimize your images for faster loading. There are many free tools available for this task, so you don't have to invest in an expensive graphics program. When using these tools you should strive to balance image size versus image quality. Avoid over optimizing your graphics. A fast loading site with over optimized images looks less professional than a slightly slower site with clear, sharp imagery.

Fonts, Colors, and Backgrounds

Choose your fonts and colors carefully. Try to avoid exotic fonts that might not be available to the average visitor. If they do not have your exotic font, their browsers will display the default font. Your carefully planned page will not have the look you so painstakingly crafted. Avoid multiple fonts — pick a couple and stick with them. Your visitors will appreciate the consistency.

Make sure the text contrasts well with the page background. Be sure that your color scheme does not render your links invisible after they have been visited! If a site creates eyestrain, it is less likely to deliver your intended message.

Avoid using "busy" backgrounds. A busy background can obscure the text and make it hard to read. If you use a background image, make sure you use a seamless tile. You should also use the background color to make your text readable while the image is loading. This little nicety shows that you have gone a step farther than most in the crafting of your pages.

Resolution Dependency

Try to avoid designing your site for a single screen resolution. Just because you are building your site on a 21-inch monitor does not mean I will be viewing it on one. This also applies to the folks that seem to think that 800*600 is the only resolution in use today.

Many people use tables for page layout. If you use this technique, consider using percentages instead of fixed pixel widths. Try viewing your pages at different resolutions to see the effect it has on your pages. I have seen many pages that look great at 800*600, but they become unreadable at higher resolutions. The same goes for background images. An image that is perfect at 1024*768 may not work so well at 800*600, and vice versa.

Cross Browser Compatibility

If you are an Internet Explorer fan, download a copy of Netscape. Use both browsers to view your site; you might be surprised at the difference! As a general rule, Internet Explorer is more forgiving than Netscape. Netscape is much more picky when it comes to HTML and JavaScript errors. A site that displays perfectly in IE could cause Netscape to crash without warning. Using both browsers in your development process will make your site better. It can lead to a radical rethinking of your site design.

JavaScript

JavaScript is a double-edged sword. If used properly it can add to the interactivity of your site. If abused, it can turn a well-planned site into a visitor's worst nightmare.

Test your scripts carefully to ensure they are cross browser compatible. A script that works well in IE may not function at all in other browsers. A poorly written script can destroy the effects you so carefully planned. Even worse, it could crash browsers and drive away the traffic you worked so hard to build.

Frivolous Use of Technology

Think carefully before adding that script or plug in. Does it enhance your message? If it does, then by all means use it. But if you are using it just because it's cool, think some more about it. Do your visitors really care that you can tell them their IP address and browser version? Does it add any real functionality to your site? I really hate things that blink and follow my cursor. I also know how to get my IP address and I don't care to be greeted with a message that says, "Welcome Chuck. You have been here 0 times!"

Multimedia

Be considerate of your visitors when using multimedia. Adding music to your site can be a nice touch, but do not force your choices on your visitors. Give them the choice of viewing your site silently or listening to the Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries at full blast ... they may have sleeping children in the house. Also be aware that a 1.5 MB sound file can take a long time to load.

Try to avoid forcing your users to download exotic plug ins. If this interferes with the design of your site or offends your sensibilities as a high tech designer, at least consider providing alternate content. Some people may not want to download the plug ins or they might have a system that doesn't meet the minimum standards required to run the Omnipro67000 audio-video does-everything plug in.

Now Go Win Awards!

Following these basic concepts will get you started on the right track in your quest for awards. Not every site can win every award. If this were possible there would be no appeal in earning awards. (Or giving them either!) These simple concepts will suffice to prepare you to earn most awards. All you have to do now is build that bulletproof web site and start applying for awards. Have fun and win those awards!