Rule # 8 - Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should

There are a lot of things that you can do with Web coding, and it's fun to experiment sometimes just to see what's all possible. But too often, these elements are used inappropriately, making it painfully clear that there are certain things you just shouldn't place in your Web site.

Before adding a lot of extra "fun and flashy" elements, think carefully about the purpose of your site. Anything that doesn't directly promote that purpose might detract from your message and even annoy visitors. In general, the following should be avoided unless you have a compelling reason to use them:

Background music - Just because it's possible to add music to your site doesn't mean you should. Sites that sell music or promote a band or musical groups are obvious exceptions. There's a big difference between having music samples available for the visitor to listen to at their convenience and having music play automatically when the home page opens. Always offer your visitors a choice to listen, rather than bombard them with music that they cannot shut off.

Blinking Words - Your site is not a digital billboard or LED display. There are other much more effective (and less annoying) ways to draw attention to headings or words. Use bold, itatlics, or increase the font size. Or use white space to set off a heading or title. Color can also be used effectively for this purpose.

Animation - Unless you are an animation artist, it is not advisable to use animated GIF images on your site. Sure, there are tons of cute and funny graphics out there, but unless that is the purpose of your site, you don't need them. Visitors are looking for information presented in a pleasing and attractive way. Animated icons and pictures will detract their attention and may even call into question your credibility.

Pop-up windows - These can be really annoying and distracting because they interrupt the site visitor and distract them from the site content. There are plenty of sound design principles you can use to draw the visitor's attention to a newsletter sign-up box or special product offer without tossing a box in front of someone. If you really think you need to use one, use them sparingly!

Finally, don't forget to update your site! Your business is dynamic - always changing, growing, and reinventing. Your Web site should be, too. Read your content reguarly and make sure it is current and still reflecting what you do. Change special offers and marketing tactics as needed, and check links frequently, especially those to other sites. You never know when a site will cease to exist.

Rule# 7 - Optimize Your Site for Search Engines

Search engine optimization might seem technical, but if you're going to have a Web site, it's something you should have at least a basic understanding of so you those interested in finding you can. Most people go straight to a search engine when they are looking for more information about a product or service, so your site must be optimized to allow those search engines to find your site.

Typically, a search engine uses a "spider bot" to crawl through sites and detect keywords, meta tags, and other aspects of a site that help identify its purpose. There are things you can do to your site to help these spiders find you. Here are a few tips:

• Use keywords throughout your site. You should identify a list of keywords that accurately describe your business, your industry, and your products and services. Use them on every page, but use them naturally.
  
  
• Use title tags - This is a short description of your page that will appear in search engine results. You'll want this title to be different on each page. You might include your business name along with your location and the title of your Web page. For example, an attorney might include his name, a designation of what type of law he practices, and where he is located, along with the name of the Web page.
  
  
  Joe Smith - Attorney - Civil Law - Chicago, Illinois - Services
  
  
  There's no such thing as a perfect title, and you can experiment with different phrases, but it is important to include your keywords here.
  
  
• Find companion sites that will link to your site. The more incoming links you have to your site, the higher your search engine ranking can be. If you are a member of a professional organization, check to see if there is an online directory that will display your name and Web site. Or your city may have a business services directory that will list you for free. Other opportunities include linking to your site form your blog or exchanging links with other business people.
  
  
• Validate your CSS or HTML code. This will ensure your code is free of errors and help all of the aspect of your site to display properly. You can have your code validated by the W3C. Valid coding helps search engines to accurately read your code and determine the subject of your page.
  
  
• Create a site map. This is a page that shows the navigation structure of your site and links to each page as well. It improves SEO because it ensures that search engines will find each page of your site. it also helps visitors understand how you have organized your site and could make it easier for them to go directly to the information they need to find.

Rule # 7 - Use HotSpots to Your Advantage

The most important news stories are placed "above the fold" in newspapers. Why? This is the first place everybody looks. The placement is important because it attracts attention and encourages people to read further, either below the fold or inside the newspaper. It's all about drawing the reader into the story to expose them to other parts of the paper they might not otherwise read.

The same is true with Web sites. Numerous "eye-tracking" studies have been conducted to find the most viewed spot on a Web page. For example, a study conducted by marketing firms Enquiro and Did-it.com and eye tracking firm Eyetools found that, during a search, most visitors consistently look at a triangle at the top left of the search results page. This would be considered an area of maximum interest.

Translated into non-search page terms, we can assume that the first place your site visitors will look is the upper left hand corner of your site. Browse some of your favorite sites and notice what they put here. You'll probably find a logo or some other company-identifying mark. That's a good place for it, especially if your site is designed to promote brand identity, introduce you as a new company, or mark your entry into a new niche market.

Now, consider how many of your site visitors are already familiar with your logo or company name. If you have already established some brand identity, you might decide to put something other than your logo here. Have a call to action or introducing a new product? This space would be a great place to put it.

Another hotspot, as identified by Google for their AdWords program, is the middle of your page and little bit above, and then another spot a little of the left of center. These are spots still considered "above the fold" or immediately visible without scrolling down when your page opens. Generally, this is where you want the main content for your page, or at least your main headline or title, because this is where most people will expect to find it. These two areas are also popular for links, which is why Google identified them. When Web designers place their Google AdWords advertising in these two areas, they are more likely to attract clicks.

Of course, a carefully and thoughtfully-designed page can draw the visitor's attention to any place on the page with the right layout and use of color, lines, and balance. The main thing is to be sure you don't "hide" your most important information. Don't overshadow your content with overdone graphics, and make sure you give your visitors a clear navigational structure so they can move from page to page and find what they need.

Rule # 6 - Use Color to Tell Who You Are

Color can be one of the most attractive elements of your Web iste, or it can be one of its most dreadful downfalls. Not only will people judge your site by the colors you choose, but they will also identify you and your business by those colors, so it's important to put some thought into choosing them.

First, think about how you want to portray your business. Distinguished, serious, bold, fun, trendy, practical, stable, experienced, youthful, passionate, ambitious? A specific color scheme can help you establish your character. Blue can represent conservatism, loyalty, calmness, royalty, and trust. Red can indicate strength, passion, fire, power, and boldness. Yellow might portray cheeriness, hope, optimism, and joy. So, first think about how you want people to see and identify your business, and then decide how color will play into you identity. (For more ideas on color symbolism and psychology, you can visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_symbolism_and_psychology.)

Second, you might consider your own logo, if you have one. What colors look good with it? While you don't have to choose exactly those same colors, it's a good idea to make sure your colors blend together. You might incorporate the main color of your logo into you Web site somewhere, because this will give your site a sense of balance and belonging.

Third, choose one or two base colors that will be used prominently in your site, and then choose complementary colors for secondary borders, fonts, and other graphics. Too many colors can give your site a chaotic and unorganized appearance.

Fourth, maintain the same shade throughout. If you use pastels, you'll want to all of your colors to have that same value. In most cases, a bright, bold green won't blend as well with a pastel blue as it would with a darker shade.

Fifth, use colors consistently throughout your site. For example, choose one color for your page title and keep it the same on every page. The same goes with your navigation bar, borders, backgrounds of sidebars or quote boxes, and sub headings or section dividers. Again, this gives your site a consistent, cohesive appearance.

Rule # 5 - Consider Layout Size

Did you know that Web site appearance changes depending on your visitor's size on monitor? Just because you design your layout to fit perfectly on your screen doesn't mean that everybody will see it exactly the same way.

Width: The biggest consideration with the size of your page layout is the width. There are various sizes and pixel widths of monitors, and it's hard to predict what your users will have. Most computer monitors have a width of 1024 pixels, and sometimes wider. Users can adjust it, but those are typical factory settings. Older monitors and monitors smaller than 19 inches generally have a pixel width of 800.

To accommodate most screens, you can build your site to fit pixel width of 800. However, because browsers often take up space on the outer limits of the screen for scroll bars and other features, you should set your width smaller - 760 pixels is usually effective, but you can go smaller. This will allow your page to fill the screen while taking into account browser features.

Those who are viewing on a larger monitor or with a larger pixel width will see more white space. If your site is left-justified, meaning it borders the left side of the screen, you site will have a significant amount of white space on the right. To reduce this effect, you can center your site so that the white space on both the left and the right is balanced.

Length: Web pages can be infinitely long, but be aware that most users won't scroll much past 2 or 3 screens, if they scroll at all. You'll want to put the most important information in the area that will be immediately seen by visitors without having to scroll. If you have so much information that users need to scroll down to read it, you might be able to break it up into separate pages. Or, consider putting your information into a pdf so readers can download the document and even print it.