Foolproof Web Design

You don't have to be a master programmer or have a computer science background to build great-looking Web pages. In fact, the most important consideration is your users. If you can build Web pages that are attractive, easy to navigate and provide value, your users will return again and again.

Designing Web Pages

The natural tendency of beginning designers is to clutter their pages with too much text and too many graphics. Leave ample white space — the space on the page without text or graphics — and your Web pages will be attractive and easy to read.

One of the benefits of the Web is that, unlike in print, there are no space constraints. Take advantage of this: Rather than cramming all your company's information on one overwhelmingly long page, spread that content over three or four pages. Plan these pages out carefully and group similar things together so users can find what they're looking for. For example, put your company's contact information in the same area as directions to your office rather than mix it in with descriptions of your products or services.

Another way to improve the look and feel of your Web pages is to "borrow" concepts from professional designers. If you see a particularly great-looking page, try to emulate it. For example, you can adapt tables, images and even entire page designs to suit your tastes.

All Web browsers allow you to view the source code of any Web page. (See your browser's Help section for specific instructions on the View Source command.) Viewing source is a great way to figure out how to achieve a particular effect you saw on someone else's site.

If you're still daunted by the prospect of building your site from scratch, you can shop around for consultants who can help you. Our article, Should You Hire a Professional to Design Your Web Site? offers some perspective on the choice that confronts many first-timers.

Testing Your Site

Implementing simple user testing can make your site immeasurably better. It can help you troubleshoot existing problems and uncover problems you didn't know you had.

The phrase "user testing" usually conjures up scenes of cameras, conference rooms and two-way mirrors. But simple user testing requires nothing more than a computer and a few willing volunteers. They should be people who haven't been directly involved with the creation of the site and, if possible, should have varying degrees of Internet experience.

Have your test subjects navigate through your Web site and provide you with feedback on all aspects of the site. Remember that all feedback is valid, and try not to take any comments personally. The goal of user testing is to give you insight into how real-world users will interact with your site. Something on your site might be perfectly obvious to you, but if one (or more) of your test subjects has trouble with it, take it back to the drawing board.

Be sure to test your site on all major browsers. Each browser version has its particular quirks, which can make Web pages appear slightly (or sometimes radically) different. To be safe, design your Web pages to render correctly on version 4 browsers and above from Netscape and Microsoft.

Quality Control

If making pages look too "busy" is the most common mistake of novice Web builders, paying too little attention to quality control is a close second. The content on Web sites — the actual words on the pages — is often given short shrift or neglected completely. Big mistake.

Apart from the overall layout of your pages, the words on the pages are the first impression you give your customers. Nothing says "amateur hour" like a site laden with misspellings and broken links. Take the extra time to proofread your content and check all the links to make sure they work.

In the end, it's important to remember that your Web site is a work in progress. If you don't like the results of your first design attempt, you can revise or redesign your site. Typos and dead links can be fixed in minutes. And as the Internet and browser technology develop, you'll probably want to integrate new bells and whistles into your site. The dynamic nature of the World Wide Web (and no small amount of elbow grease) can make it all possible.

One systematic way learn about the effectiveness of your site is to use analytics software. There are programs that can show you where people go on your site and which elements may be turning people away. Our guide to Web site traffic analysis tools explains the benefits of this software and recommends features that specifically support e-commerce, marketing, or content-heavy Web sites.