My list of Do's & Don'ts for business effective websites

I trust you agree in principle:

Visual Do's:

• Use your company's logo as a strong identification 

• Use an easy to read background/colour scheme that suits your logo style

• Spell out your company's mission statement

• Bullet your key service/product offerings

• Expand your service/product offerings on sub pages

• Use relevant crystal clear images

• Ensure all images have text display information 

• Balance image quality appropriately with data size and load time

• Use text justification where possible; the symmetry is easier to digest

• Use rollover or text change buttons for links; it is easier to see where to click

Contrary to many web designers, I advocate the use of frames where they are valuable.  All modern browsers support frames and I believe that most (I think all) of the problems that other web designers cite are able to be fixed; it just takes a bit of extra thought and effort.  I certainly disagree with those who state that many visitors find frames annoying.  I would respectfully suggest, that any poorly designed website is annoying whether frames are used or not.  And certainly, in my opinion, having to move back up seemingly endless rows of data to find a link is to me a nausea creating experience.

I also do not believe that there is any need now to consider early browsers. Even in 2001 the number of users in this category was estimated at about one percent. 

Don't:

• Use spinning logos they detract from your messages

• Use sound (unless you are selling audio products); it can make visitors jump as they might have the volume turned up and that sudden unnecessary thunderclap just got them to click the Back Button  

• Use long pages unless they're documents; the back to top and paging down again is an irritation especially where external links are embedded

• Spread your links all over the page(s) it is confusing and not intuitive

• Use tickertape messages as it is probably the only message you'll get over; unless you've only one thing to say

• Leave links unsatisfied; the standard message "The page cannot be displayed" is a distinct turn off

• Above all, let the website technologists have their way!

These Do's & Don'ts are my opinion based on achieving the key objectives of a basic business website in the most cost effective manner. 

Website scripting techniques are developing all the while and new technologies are  constantly being introduced, but with each advance comes the complication of standardisation that imposes extra programming within the website to determine the viewer's browser functionality and modify the site behaviour accordingly.  Most are aware of the IT industry's poor performance in standardisation and the closest we have come to achieving it is with the World-Wide-Web and its HTML (Hypertext Mark-Up Language - it's the basic computer programming language for websites). However, even with something now as commonplace as the WWW, it takes suppliers time to catch up with developments and therefore using techniques that are the common denominator makes sense. 

Many websites use advanced, exciting and new technologies and these can be very handsome indeed, but they are more costly to implement and maintain.  Remember that these highly developed sites either have an in-house team of designers/programmers or employ a large external consultancy (like those I used to work for).  This is just not practical nor sensible for the more compact enterprise.

But after all this, if you want instead an extremely complex or otherwise jazzy website with spinning logos and all the fun things that ensure that visitors like me never return to the site, then don't contact me!  I could create such a site but I've now got better things to do with my time!  So only go to the next link if you are "with me" on this!

All information on this Web site is copyright 2006 by PenTre Consultancy.