Where to Begin

Newbee's Hints to Successful Web Design

The following hints are, in my opinion, what makes a successful site. I'm sure that many people would disagree with some points, or would like to add more.  If you have any comments or suggestions on this article, or would like to add more content of your own, then please contact me at the Forum.

Plan Plan Plan

Try to get at least a basic idea of what you want to achieve before you start, and the best way to go about it.  You can make it very simple at first, but allow yourself the room to add and improve, as your knowledge and experience increases.  This will help decrease the amount of redesigning required in the future. I've never seen a site yet that was a "final" copy.

Ask Ask Ask

Don't be afraid to ask questions, as there is nothing wrong with being a newbee. Even the most experienced web designer had to start somewhere. The Newsgroups, FAQ's and other sites mentioned on the links page will be of enormous help.

When using a newsgroup, remember to search for your question before asking, as some questions are asked very frequently. Also provide as much information as you can about your problem, and be nice. Bad tempered questions rarely get a response.

Make it Theirs

One of the first mistakes I ever made with FP, was to design a web that looked excellent on my IE browser at 1024 x 678 screen size. However, when I viewed from another machine at 800 x 600, or when I viewed it with Netscape, all my formatting and navigation went out the window. I was so wrapped up in how it looked to me, that I forgot the needs of the people I designed it for - other users. 

For an intranet site this can easily be overcome by ensuring everyone has the same browser and equipment, but for the internet it is unavoidable.

You cannot please all of the people all of the time, but there are a few basic rules you can follow to ensure you please most of them all of the time.

• Design for both IE and Netscape from at least versions 3 and up

• Where possible, make your site content resizable in the browser

• Avoid absolute positioning as Netscape does not support this

• Check how your site works with certain browser settings disabled

Don't Lose Sight

If you are selling or offering a service, remember why the user has come to your site. I've seen a large number of corporate websites that get this wrong, by having very complicated and impressive sites, but missing the point entirely.

Unless you are selling web design, don't blind the user with fancy "bells and whistles". Keep the emphasis on your product, not your design skills.  Make it easy for the user to find and obtain what they are looking for.  Not only will they return, but they will bring others too.

With personal homepages this can also be true. Don't do things just because you can, without realizing the reaction you are going to get from the user. One good example of this, is that annoying background music you get at some sites, that force you to leave before the 8th bar.

The world is full of people who can do amazing things, but not many of them could tell you why. 

Another example is this site itself.  Originally it used frames, which was nice, and allowed me to believe how clever I was.  Then I realised that using frames, prevented users from bookmarking any pages, for future reference - DOH !!!!

I was so wrapped up with the look of the site, I forgot that with an FAQ, the ability to bookmark specific pages is a must.

Get An Objective View

Get people to critique your site at regular intervals during it's development. It's no good asking at the end of the design stage, only to find a million things that need changing. This also helps you gain more experience and points you in directions that you may not have considered before, and gives you some idea of the sort of responses you are going to get from the end users.

Accept all criticism constructively, although there will be occasions where you get the anonymous "your site sucks" critique.  Personally, those sort of replies should be treated with the contempt they deserve. 

Don't just take my word for it

Here are other peoples views and practices on creating a successful web site :

ODT Web Design Studios

Our first step in designing a web site is to make sure we have defined a set of goals . Careful planning and a clear sense of purpose are the keys to success in building web sites. Before we build a web site we will:

• Identify the target audience

• Have a statement of purpose

• Know the main objectives

• Have a concise outline of the information the site will contain

We also identify all of the content information and graphic resources that we have collect, or create to achieve the goals we set for a web site.

Building a web site is an ongoing process, not a one-time project with static data.

Identify the potential users of your web site, so that you can structure the site design, to meet their needs and expectations. The knowledge, background, interests, and needs of users will vary from tentative novices who need a careful structured introduction to expert "power users" who will be irritated at anything that appears to patronize them or delay their access to information. 

Your visitors could be the people down the street, or people in Canada or Poland or Peru. Always avoid local jargon or obscure technical wording in your introductory pages.

James Goulden

ODT Web Design Studios

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Choosing the Correct Server Provider

Choosing the correct server provider for you can be a bit time consuming, but is well worth it. Getting it right first time can save a lot of shouting & swearing.  Making sure that you have the right type of account with the server provider can be just as important. Here are a few pointers that may save you time, and in the case of server providers that charge, money too.

Get What You Need

Unless your site is totally extensions free, and you plan always to keep it that way, then use a server provider  that supports FP extensions.  Avoid providers that don't support them due to security issues, the problem is usually due to their server's poor security, and not FP extensions themselves.

If you are using ASP or CGI then make sure your server provider supports these too. Don't be afraid to ask them questions. If they get confused by any of these issues, then they are not as clever as they say, and should be avoided like the plague.

If you have forms that send e-mail, then get the server provider to set this up for you straight away. Also, find out who sets what, when it comes to security.

Free Hosting & The Tooth Fairy

There really is no such thing. Many free host sites will require you to include some free advertising for them. Some, like Tripod, will put horrible pop up banners and adverts on your site, regardless of how annoying they are to users.

If you want free hosting, then shop around for the ones with the least amount of interference to your site design. Search or ask in newsgroups and see what other people are saying about that server provider, and how good their FP support really is.

Stand Your Ground

Don't let the server provider push you into redesigning your site to suit them. Remember that they are the "service provider", not you. If they cannot accommodate your site, find someone else that can.

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Newbee's Hints to Search Engine Placement

The following hints are, in my experience, the best ways to get placed on most search engines. Although they are not guaranteed to give you the top listing, they can help you get there, whilst avoiding breaking any rules and regulations.

I'm sure that many people have other or better tips, and if you would like to share them, then please contact me via my email address.

Patience is a Virtue

Some search engines can take a very long time before indexing your site. Don't be tempted to submit your URL repeatedly to a search engine, this may be considered "spamming". Give them ample time to list your site before resubmitting your URL.

The Fall of Keywords

When search engines first appeared, many relied heavily on the the meta keywords tag, to index a site. Due to misuse by "Spammers", many search engines no longer rely on this tag to index your site, and the ones that still do, only do so to detect "Spammers", and kick them out accordingly.

Due to this fact, refrain from using keywords that have nothing to do with your site. Also refrain from using a very large keyword list, and never repeat a word more than three times.

The Rise of Content

Content seems to be the new "Mecca" for search engines. Not only the meta content tag, but more importantly the actual content of the first page the search engine sees. Most search engines that behave in this manner, don't even bother reading the content meta tag, and only search the actual content of the page, held within the <body> statements.

Try to make this content 100 words or more, while keeping it strictly to the site's description and purpose. Again, don't try to cheat by using content that has no relevance, content that is hidden, or a font colour that is close to the background colour of the page. This will definitely be interpreted as "Spam".

Less than 100 words may not get you listed, although it is good to know that "alt text" of images is also counted as content too. This does not mean you can misuse this either.

The Manual Shift

Some search engines have changed from the auto-spider method of indexing pages, relying instead on manual checking by operators. This is a much slower process, but far more accurate.

Also, some search engines rely on you to pick the correct directory or category to list your site under. Try to pick one that suits your site best, and don't post to multiple directories and categories, usually more than two can get you kicked out.

Frames & Redirects

Most people will tell you that some search engines hate frames, and refuse to list any site that has them. This is still true to a certain degree, thanks to bad design and more misuse by "Spammers".

If you have a framed site, then there are several ways you can overcome this disadvantage, most of which are a little complicated, and don't always work as intended.

By far the easiest way, is to make your home page (first page loaded) without frames. This should contain a button or link to the rest of the site (which is framed), as well as good keywords and content, as discussed above. 

As this is the first page the search engines will see, you have a far better chance of getting listed on a "Frame Hate" search engine, even if the search engine ignores the rest of your site.

Redirecting the browser could be an alternative, but be careful, as this was also a "Spammer's Favourite" in the past. Some search engines will not list you for this, especially of you are redirecting from one domain or server to another. Many large companies have fallen foul of this.

I Can't Be Bothered - Automate !

I'm sure you have seen some of the auto-submit services, offering to get your site listed on hundreds of search engines, at the flick of a switch. I cannot speak for the "pay" sites or reputable companies that offer this service, but avoid the "free" ones like the plague !

I made the mistake of using one of these "Free" services in the past, and got my site labeled as "Spam" by most of the top search engines as a result. However, thanks to the fact I gave this company my email address, I have hundreds of junk messages to look forward to, every morning !

Most search engines no longer except submissions from such sites, and some even have certain servers targeted, so that any material submitted from them, is instantly dismissed as suspect, and rejected.

Unless you want to pay a recommended company to do it for you, then it is best that you submit your site to every search engine manually, and only then, after you've read the instructions and rules of submission.

Get In Though The Back Door

A good way to get listed on some search engines, is to actually be a member of one of their services. This is not a guaranteed solution, but can give you a little leverage, when it comes to asking "Why is my site not listed on your search engine?". However, this does not give you the right to be listed, neither does it give you the right to be rude to their customer services department.

I once got turned down by Infoseek (now GO), who refused to include my site, because my homepage was "A personal web page, held on a large company server". This was despite the fact the server in question was Infoseek's own server, and my page was plastered with compulsory Infoseek advert banners !

If All Else Fails - Beg !

When someone gave me this advice, I didn't think this was a serious answer. But after I stopped laughing, I actually tried it, and 9 times out of 10, it worked !

If you have been waiting for a long time to get listed on a search engine, send them a very polite email asking them to tell you where you went wrong. Tell them how much you would like to be listed, how long you have been waiting, and apologise in advance for any rules you have mistakenly broken.

Believe it or not, you nearly always get a reply, although some companies send auto-mailer messages first, and then reply in person, a week or two later.

Don't believe the larger search engine companies don't care. In fact, my best replies came from Excite and Lycos, not exactly "small potatoes". Both replies came from actual people, not just an automated message.

Both apoligised for the delay, told me that they would personally add my site to their index, and my site would appear within the next 2 or 3 days. They certainly kept their promise, and I thank both companies for that (especially Lycos - who listed our company site as "highly recommended").

I also had very prompt replies, and action, from some of the less famous search engines, especially the UK orientated ones.

Don't expect this to work on a site that deliberately breaks the rules, and don't use this method too often either, it could be interpreted as "Spam".

A Happy Ending

Believe it or not, search engines actually want to list your site. If you have a valid site to contribute, then they want it indexed on their search engine.

If a person is looking for your site, and finds it through a search engine very easily, the chances are, they will return to use that search engine, again and again.

It is a very competitive business, especially at the moment, and the more accurate and concise their listings are, the more successful they become. All they need from you is :

• The site URL (and sometimes a valid email address)

• A little of your time

• Care & consideration

• Patience

For more information on search engines see the links page. Good luck with your site.

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