The first paragraph of this article provides a concise summary of the content. It offers ten crucial tips for building a successful website. These tips, when implemented, will enhance the user experience, making your website more appealing and user-friendly.
Ensure your website's navigation is simple and consistent across all pages. Whether you place your menu bar at the top or down the side, always include a small text menu at the bottom of every page. Avoid designing your navigation with Flash as some users may not have or want the plug-in, and search engine spiders can't read it. This could prevent them from indexing the individual pages of your site.
In the era of heightened concern over privacy on the Web, it's essential to include a privacy policy if you collect any type of information from your visitors. There are numerous online templates that can assist you in creating one. Once created, post a link to it on every page of your site.
Nothing is more frustrating than having to scour an entire website just to send the owner an email. Post your contact info, including your email address, at the bottom of every page of your site.
Keep your graphics to a reasonable size to ensure quick loading times. If you need to use a lot of graphics, consider using compression to reduce their size.
Stick to standard fonts like Arial, Verdana, and Times New Roman that are installed on most computers. If you use non-standard fonts, they may not display as intended on your users' computers.
Include interactive features such as live news feeds, chat rooms, and discussion boards to create a sense of community and encourage return visits. Check out Moreover for a variety of news feed topics you can integrate into your site for free.
Offering a newsletter is a great way to keep in touch with your visitors and keep your site fresh in their minds. Newsletters can help establish trust and credibility. For more on starting your own ezine, visit Ezine University.
Your website may appear differently in various browsers. Ensure you test your site in both Netscape and Internet Explorer. While IE has about 80% of the market share, you'll want to ensure the other 20% can view your site without any issues.
The norm for screen resolution these days seems to be 800X600, although some people still use 640X480. View your site in different resolutions to ensure it displays correctly. If you don't mind a small majority scrolling right and left, 800X600 is a good choice.
On your site's homepage, the first paragraph should answer the "5 W's"; essentially telling visitors who you are and what you're offering. Many websites neglect this, leaving visitors wondering what the site is about. Answer these questions quickly to keep impatient surfers from clicking away.
By remembering these ten pointers when building your next website, you'll create a site that visitors will want to return to, rather than flee from in frustration.
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