Table of Contents

A Simple Way to Create Web Pages

Organization

The way you organize your information on your site will have a powerful impact on your readers. If you have excellent content but poor design and layout, you will soon find that you have no visitors. The following tips should help you design a site in a way which appeals to your audience.

Important Information First

Display your most important information near the top of each web page. Some readers do not like to scroll down pages and will miss important information not placed at the top of a page.

Emphasize Key Information

Use headings and formatting to make important information stand out. Do not bury important information in long paragraphs.

Consider Page Length

Web pages should take up at least one screen size and should not take up any more than five screen sizes (consider varying screen sizes when checking). A good rule to follow is to print your pages. If they print on less than 3/4 of a page or more than 3 pages, consider editing to gain or shorten the length.

Use Paragraphs

Short paragraphs are easier to read than long paragraphs. Paragraphs will help divide up your text on a page and make it more appealing to readers.

Use Headings

Headings make your main topics or ideas stand out. They break up the page and make it easier for your reader to find important information. Do not overemphasize. If you use emphasis when it isn't needed, important information will not stand out.

Condense Information

If you have a lot of information broken up onto several pages, provide one page that contains all of the information. This will allow your readers to print the contents without have to browse several pages to do so.

 Do Not Use "Under Construction" Labels

If your site or pages are not ready for publishing, do not put them on the web. Visitors find it very frustrating to wait for a page to download, only to discover there is no content.

Images

Some people turn off image display in their browsers to make pages load faster. Be sure your pages are appealing even without images.

Download Time

Many people still use slow modems and phone lines to connect to the Internet. Consider download time when creating your pages. Keep the sizes of your pages and images as small as possible. This will help your pages display more quickly.

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Updated December 2004