A small collection of useful tips that will greatly improve the success of your web site.
Include Engaging Contenthttp://www.vbulletin.org/forum/images/portal/lips.gif
A site should have fresh content. You have 10 seconds to get the user's attention.True. I'd personally theorise that it's a lack of useful content or discussion in various forums which has made the difference between them doing well and them being nearly totally dead. Plus, too many new forums forget this, and end up with two posts, both by the administrator and probably titled 'Forum Rules'.
Include Valuable Content On Top-Fold Of Window
Use this area for important content. This includes, navigation, menu links, and/or descriptive information.True.
Choose Color Wisely
Color sets the mood
Why is setting the mood important?
Setting a mood will enchance any message.
By using the right combination of colors, you can create an atmosphere or mood in which the viewer is more likely to respond.
Choose contrasting colorsI have no real comment.
Consistency And Focus Important Throughout A Site.
If the menu is on top, make sure the menu is on top on all pages.
This is accurate, and the first version of my own site made this exact mistake, as do a lot of websites started by new website designers. Although I have actually seen three websites actually do extremely well after totally forgetting half the advice in this tutorial, but they could probably have done even better after following it.
Design With Your Target On Mind
Do you know the objectives and market segment your site is aiming for?
Gather detailed profiles of your 'market'. For example, if you're aiming towards people over 50 years old. Do you know and understand their behaviors, needs, and wants? Do you know...
the average person at this age have a monitor resolution of 800*600?
the older a person is the more blind they become?
the older a person is the smarter they become?NOTE: This is not a message to ignore everyone else. A good design will attract people from all sides. This is a message to emphasize key features that may or may not be required for your target segment.
I didn't really realise this, although I'd disagree with the third one, especially after my experience of trolls getting kinda worse after time rather than better (What? I've seen trolls get worse over time, and certain long time forum users get rather xenophobic after time...)
The Visual Design Of A Site Only Makes A Small Difference When It Comes To Usability.
Do not spend to much time on eye candy. However, this does not mean you should ignore it. Show your personality and distinguish your site from others.I'd agree, but I'd still debate that Useit.com is exactly the way forward...
Never Assume People Know What Your Site Is About
The purpose and benefits of web site should be clear and visible.True, I actually originally read about this in various stuff on Webpagesthatsuck (including the actually book they published which had a chapter about this). I've also actually stated this in forum reviews before...
Links Should Be Clear And Visible
Consistency would greatly help ... eg, if a link is blue and underlined make sure it stays like this on all links; do not mix and match. Use "title" attribute on all links. Never assume a user knows that an image is a button. eg. an image standing on it's own.True, although I have also read that it's bad to make an image that looks like a link button not actually be a link button, or to underline text that isn't a link...
Navigation Should Be Restricted To A Small Number Of Links.
Navigation should have clear and descriptive links and should be consistent. Never leave people guessing.I have probably totally failed this part...
Proofread Content For Typographical Errors
Check for typos, grammar, broken links, and buggy scripts.
I wish I'd done so a bit earlier, because nothing is more fun that realising one minor thing is broke on three hundred pages and having to fix it manually.[/sarcasm]
Include White Space In Page Layout
People are more inclined to read if content is not clutter and long. Use white space to break apart content. Just imagine if this page was one big paragraph with no space. How would you react to it?Analyze Stats / Log Files
Understanding how people "react" to your site can help you generate more traffic. By analyzing your site's log files you can track your audience, learn which pages are most popular, and identify technical problems. Ultimately, you can create a better experience for you and your end users._________________
Joe Velez (aka princeton) owns and operates GO-TOTAL LLC-a registered company (web hosting/design/programming) in the state of NJ.
^Classic overused sign of expertise text many articles seem to use which pretty much state the website's about page/webmaster profile. I never really got the point of that stuff...