All Things Web

When putting together a web site, we’ve put together 25 items that should be a part of every web site. Included are items on basic design, meta information, page layout, alternate content, navigation, page structure and linking. Follow these items and you’ll ensure a well layed out, well built web site for your company. During the month of June, we’ll do an indepth article on each of these aspects helping you get a better understanding of these items and their importance to your web sites success.

1. Doctype
   When developing a new document, you need to define which version of (X)HTML your document is using. This is a vital piece of information needed by browsers to parse the document.By using a doctype declaration you will make the browser’s job easier, and the browser will use a “traditional” parsing mode, where the understanding of the document is not only faster, it is also consistent and free of any issues that can come up when a doctype is not specified.
2. Language Declaration
   After setting your doctype, you’ll want to declare the language you are using within the document. This tells all browsers, text readers and speech synthesizers what language to read this page in. This is a fairly basic item, but really quite important in the scheme of things and something you should be sure to include.
3. Title Attribute
   Arguably the most important piece of information within a web page. The title attribute is the eye catching headline of the page. Each page should have a unique title that matches perfectly with the content of the page. Optimally, this should be kept to less than 70 characters.
4. Meta Description
   Frequently used by search engines as the detailed description of the page, the meta description tag inside the pages header is an important optimization tool. A well written description will help your site by improving search rankings and click through rate of potential visitors. Take the time to write this description as well as you possibly can.
5. Meta Keywords
   While this is becoming a less important tag to many search engines, it is still recommended that each page should have a set of “keywords” to let robots know what can be found on the page. Keep this short and sweet and don’t spend forever on this tag, but make sure to include it.
6. Author Declaration
   The Author Declaration is a small tag that lets visitors know who is responsible for the document. While not a factor in Search Engine Optimization, this tag is a basic tag that should be added for all web sites. This tag is most important in terms of basic accessibility and usability.
7. Jump To Sections Navigation
   At the core of accessibility is the ability to allow visitors to jump to various sections of the page. At a minimum we recommend three key sections on a page. First, your main navigation, then your main content, then your secondary navigation region. This navigation can be most easily achieved through the use of an unordered list and CSS. This should be the first piece of information available in your HTML.
8. Logo
   The first visual element on your page should be your logo. This placement is generally expected by most visitors, and users also expect it will be a link that will return them to the home page of the web site. Keep the image size small, include alt text and link to your home page.
9. H1 Tag
   Following your logo each and every page on your web site should have a unique header tag. This is the H1 tag and should be used to define the content of the page. This should be displayed as prominently as the site will allow. Ensure that this is the largest font on the page and very eye catching.
10. Main Navigation – Text Based
    Immediately following your logo and header tag should be the site’s main navigation. Best practice is for this to be a text based menu that is accessible to all users and visitors including the search engines. If at all possible, avoid Javascript or DHTML menus for your main menu. Using lists visually managed by CSS is your best bet for optimal internal linking. This practice also allows search engines to easily find the core sections of your site.
11. Main Content Area
    This is the meat of your specific page. Your bread and butter so to speak and the reason why people are coming to the page. You’ll want to ensure this information is well written and that as much of it is text based as possible. Search engines look for content…new content…fresh content…on topic content to rank for specific search terms. Pack this area with as much content as you can, link to other content within your site and build a quality piece of information for your visitors. Remember, in the end, it is solely about your visitors.
12. Breadcrumb Navigation
    Breadcrumb navigation offers the visitor a quick way to backtrack into the higher sections of the site. This should be placed at the top of your main content section and link back to the categories and pages above the one the visitor is on. Home > Category > Sub Category > This Page is the structure we recommend, and as a side note it allows you to increase the internal linking structure of your site which is never a bad thing.
13. Sub Navigation – Text Based
    Should your page lead to more information in the same category, it should contain a sub navigation section using text based links to drive traffic to pages within that section. This area should be used to improve ease of navigation for the site. As a side benefit, you’ll find that this is a great way to build internal linking without appearing spammy.
14. Valid HTML
    Valid HTML is one of the most important things you can do for your web site. Benefits include improved accessibility, usability and cross browser friendliness. While there is some discussion on this, I believe that properly formatted validated HTML can improve your web sites Search Rankings. While not a major factor, every little bit can help.
15. CSS For Page Layout
    With the ever changing world of web today, it is absolutely critical that you begin to seperate content from style and this is achieved using CSS or Cascading Style Sheets. There are a few benefits to moving to CSS for your styling including reducing HTML file size, improving Content to Code Ratio and quick and easy site wide visual changes.
16. Page Structure
    We’ve found it best for both your visitors and search engines if your web site uses a proper semantical structure in your page layout. By using header tags, H1 for example, to break up areas of your page you can guide all visitors to the content they need, while showing the search engines what the important sections of your page are. Done correctly, you will ensure accessibility and usability for your web site.
17. Internal Linking
    Internal linking on your web site is one of the best ways to increase link counts with search engines and drive traffic from established areas of your site to new and informative information. There are three key pieces to internal navigation and success is dependent on these being done properly. You have your Main Navigation, Sub-Navigation and In-Content links. With a little work, this is a great way to gain exposure for new content on your site and build a solid reputation within the search engines.
18. Alt Attributes for Images
    After a decade of web design, I would have thought this was a given for many designers but this is still an item that needs to be addressed. Each and every image on your web page needs an Alternate Attribute or ALT. This lets users know what the image is while it’s loading, or what information is contained in the image if they are unable to see the image due to limitations.
19. Title Tags for Text Links
    While not a mandatory thing, Title Tags for Text Links are a way of improving the accessibility of your site for all visitors. This will give visitors more information on a link before they visit it. At it’s most basic form, it’s an ALT tag for text links.
20. Contact Information
    This is a major thing, that too many sites skip or don’t input enough information. If you are a business, have an address, phone number, and email address at a minimum for people to contact you. You can have forms, and live support if you’d like but you should have some basic contact information available to all people, a PO Box is not enough.
21. About Information
    An About Us section allows visitors to get a basic understanding of what your web site is about, what your organization is about and little history on the team. This should be deep enough that people can feel comfortable with you and be willing to trust you.
22. Footer Section
    Each page should have a footer section. This can contact basic contact info, a link to your sitemap, copyright policy, privacy policy and any other pieces of information visitors might need. This is not an area to dump 100 links to every section of your site as a linking strategy.
23. Sitemap HTML
    This page is a visual representation of the layout of your web site. Allowing visitors to quickly and easily find a specific page on your web site.
24. Sitemap XML
    This file is for search engines. This allows them to get information on the pages in your site including the importance of the page on your domain and the frequency of when this page is updated by you. It is a must have resource and should be a file named sitemap.xml in your root directory if at all possible.
25. Web Analytics
    Each and every page on your web site should have a type of web analytics incorporated. Web Analytics is used to give you a general understanding of how many people are visiting your web site, where they came from, what pages they are visting and how long they are staying. Depending on your specific needs, a well structured Web Analytics package can be used to do some serious analysis of seperate sections and pieces of your web site.
26. Visual Appeal
    Finally, your web site should be visually attractive and appealing to your visitors. Visual appearance is one of the most important things when it comes to successful conversions on a web site. If your web site does not appear professional and trustable, then you are behind the 8 ball right out of the gate.

Through the month of June we’ll be discussing each of these topics in more detail and helping you plan the success of your web projects. Stay tuned.

I think that there is a fear holding many small businesses from reaching their true potential. That fear is their company web site, and how to manage it.

It is my belief that many small business owners simply do not understand the power of the web, and that their focus should be almost 100% web when it comes to new business development. In most markets and for most product mixes people start their search for a provider using a search engine. Search engines are now the number one resource for people seeking information.

Gone are the days of the Yellow Pages, Phone Directories, Local Business Directories and arrived are the days of search engines. Their not perfect, but they are fast, anonymous and allow users to find the information they are looking for. All business owners must realize that internet is the only game in town worth spending money on.

But wait, perhaps as a restaurant owner, you don’t understand how you could help build business using your web site, or perhaps you are scared of this unknown world that you’ve never approached. The internet is a great place because you can experiment, and change things on a whim, and without waiting for a brochure to be printed, or for next years Yellow Pages to come out, you can change your specials, or mantra, or product list immediately and dynamically for the whole world to see.

Finding the right web partner that will guide you through the process of bringing your web site into the 21st century is the most important step in getting your business online and building your business utilizing the internet. Look for someone who is willing to chat with you, discuss trends and information with you, someone not afraid to hold your hand and educate you. Make sure that person has successes under their belt, make sure that they have proven sites under their belts. This is your business, don’t trust a brother, sister, mother, aunt, uncle, friend, third cousin of your mechanic to do your web site because they can save you some money. This is your business, treat it in that way, and you’ll do well.

I originally posted this article on WebProWorld and an old blog I had on my companies web site. I’m reposting here because I feel it is a very important subject that every company needs to review.

As a web designer, I get to see my fair share of great, okay, and poor web sites each and every day. While everyone will have their own opinion on what makes a good web site, I thought that I’d walk through the top 10 traits of a bad web site, one that in the long term will hurt a business more than it will help a business.

I’ll count these down from # 10 and arrive at my #1 sin for web sites. Make sure to avoid these ten items and you’ll be on your way to success with your web site.

10. Flash Intro Page:
Okay, I’m not sure why so many companies feel that these are great ideas for their web site. I cannot name the number of times that I’ve found such a site, and tried to find the “skip intro” link on the page. The only thing more frustrating than a flash introduction is one that you can’t skip. These items take up bandwidth, and studies have shown no one actually watches them. Save us all some headache and skip this. If you want to have a flash company introduction, offer it as a link somewhere deeper in your web site.

9. Large Image Files:
Yes pictures are pretty, and they help tell a story, but they are not the foundation of a great web site, even if you are a photographer. Users today can be on a variety of services, perhaps they are on broadband, then lots of photos isn’t bad. Or they might be on dialup still, then your web site won’t load quickly enough, and they’ll go somewhere else. I read recently you have 4-5 seconds to make your impression or the visitor will be off to another web site. Finally, the user could be accessing your site from a PDA or Cell Phone and if that is the case, your site may be completely unable to function within the device. Any of these users will not be back if your site takes too long to load, and doesn’t have the information they are looking for at their fingertips.

8. Fade In / Fade Out on Page Changes:
Okay, I thought the design community would see this feature as one that shouldn’t have been used in a public setting, but even today, I still see sites that fade between page changes. This takes time, and really is simply a useless gimic that some web designers use to make a web site more “attractive”. Business owners, if your web site does this, it doesn’t help, it hurts, and it doesn’t make you look professional. Please stop.

7. Bad Site Navigation:
People visit your web site for one thing. To get information. That’s it. Nothing else. Build navigation links that will make sense to visitors, especially those that may not know the hot terms for your business. Site navigation should be easy to find, always located in the same spot on the page, be text based if possible, and be clear. Your site isn’t better because someone visits 10 pages before finding the info they want, it is simply more frustrating. Make everyone’s lives easier, make your navigation a major piece of the site, and put some real thought into how it’s laid out.

6. Broken Scripts:
If a page is public, it needs to work. Test it, double test it, make sure it works, and visit your site frequently to make sure there are no issues. I have been to some major organizations web sites recently where I run into JavaScript or other scripting errors that keep me from actully getting to information on their web site. Always make sure to test something before it is made live. Once live, always check on it to make sure it’s still working.

5. No Solid Content:
This is actually one of my bigger issues with web sites, but unfortunately I could only place it at number 5 on the list. I’ll give you an example. I am currently in the process of looking for a new home. I did a search for “Home Values” and visited a site. What I got was a web site that discussed markets in each state, on one page. No real deep meaningful content. But it was filled with “ads” (we’re getting to that one) and it was well ranked in the search engines. Amazing in my eyes. If you are going to have a web site. Try and ensure that you are going to provide lots of good information, and that you’ll do everything you can to keep that information current.

4. Ads vs. Content:
I cannot explain how bad this is for web sites. I’m seeing this more and more frequently, web designers, business professionals linking ads on their web sites. I’m not sure what a person can be thinking in regards to placing ads from Google or Yahoo on their site where they are selling their services. I know I might step on some toes here, but if your web site cannot make money without plastering ads all over the place, well, it might be time to find a new business. Now, I’m strictly discussing service professionals here. Real Estate Agents, Web Designers, Accountants, Lawyers any type of business that isn’t in business to sell ads, such as a newspaper, or similar site, it is really quite tacky if you have Google Ads plastered on your home page right below your company logo.

3. Random Link Pages:
While I understand the importance of In-Bound-Links to SEO, I do not get why companies must feel that a good link exchange with every web site in the world is of any value. I promise you that if you are a florist, and you have links to a Harley Davidson dealership, a barbershop, an accountant and an amusement park on your site, you don’t get the point of linking. Please don’t link to any site, unless it is going to be a value to your visitors, and it is actually something related to your business.

2. Bookmark My Site Buttons:
Love these, I really do. Because, people can’t find the Bookmark button on their own, your site is so good you need to tell me, so I can remember to bookmark your site. Computers and the internet have been around for a bit now, bookmarks are used by lots of people. However, using up valuable real estate on your web site to promote such things is a waste of space for the limited return you’ll see for your efforts.

1. Innaccessible Site:
This is a big topic for me, especially as I learn more and more about the subject of Web Accessibility. If your site cannot be visited by a blind person, and easily understood, then you’re making a grave mistake. You’re probably unsure of your site’s status when it comes to web accessibility, however work with a local professional, and they’ll help you get your site viewable by all that visit.

Hopefully some of these things will help you make a better web experience for your visitors and your customers.

A key question is whether your web site needs a new look or not. The answer is quite simple. If you can answer no to any of these questions, then it’s time for an update.

1. Have you added new content to your site within the last 6 months?
2. Is your web site using valid code?
3. Is your web site accessible?
4. Is your web site bringing you new customers?
5. Do your customers use your site as a resource?

These are five simple questions that if you can answer no to any of them, it’s time for an update. In the same way that you wouldn’t run the exact same sales ad each week in the newspaper, your web site needs to be updated frequently with new information that any visitor can access.

Helping small businesses with their web sites are why we’re in business. Let us help today.

One of my main passions is quality web design. Over the past couple of years I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with a number of top accessiblity, SEO and SEM specialists.

I’ve been fortunate to work with these people and they have taught me more than I could have ever imagined.

As the internet becomes a core of our lifestyles it is important for companies, churches, non-profits, and private individuals to understand the importance of quality web design, accessible for all.

My company is a Maryland Web Design firm offering solid site design, e-commerce solutions and content management solutions. Please feel free to stop by and check out how we can help your company, church or organization increase your visibility.