Getting Started
Editors
>>Design Tips
Home
HTML:
The Basics
Adding Color
Adding Images
Backgrounds
Links
Text Format
Page Format
Tables
Frames
Forms
More Than HTML:
Audio
Meta Tags
JavaScript
Cut & Paste JScripts
Style Sheets
IE with Style
IE Form Colors
MS Trans. Effects
Special Character Set
Help Desk:
Free Stuff:
Design Tips
There is more to creating the perfect web page than just knowing the code. Many first time web page authors create clumsy, meaningless pages that have little or no pertinent information on any one subject. A web page should be planned carefully by choosing a topic, planning the layout, and choosing a graphics theme.
The topic is the most important aspect of a new web page. It will not only be the focus of your web page, it will also determine the audience that will be viewing your page. The topic should be something you are interested in: a hobby, an educational interest, or perhaps your favorite movie star or recording artist. Choose only one topic; several topics on one page is not only confusing, it also makes the page unreadable. For example, if you are going to create a web page dedicated to your prize winning dog, you would not want to add in information about your garden. Related information to your topic can be put on separate pages; more than one page of related information creates a web site.
After you have chosen a topic, you should plan the layout of the page. Determine what information you will be putting on the page and how you want to convey the information. Using block headings to separate blocks of information will make your page flow correctly. Using tables can greatly simplify the tedious work of formatting a page. Also, consider what images you want to use on the page and where they should be placed. For example, if you are writing about a special showing your dog competed in, you would want to use a picture you took at that show instead of a picture of the dog in your backyard. Also, limit the size of the images you will be using. Large images will cause your page to load slowly; most people will leave your site before it is finished loading.
Images and graphics will make your page more interesting to your viewers. But gaudy, unorganized design graphics will ruin an otherwise well planned page and a page with no design graphics is dull and uninteresting. Matching, well placed design sets will greatly improve the appearance of the page. You should use a design set that enhances the topic of your page. For example, a design set that has images of a dog’s paw could be used on the page dedicated your dog. Also, try to keep buttons and bars to a minimum, these graphics tend to take the attention away from the information on the page.
Once you have chosen a topic, planned your layout, and picked a design set, it is time to begin coding the page. An effective web page is planned carefully before the final coding begins. The topic of your web page and the information you are wanting to share is the most important part of your web page. Don’t let the excitement of visual effects overwhelm your visitors; limit your images and graphics. Designing a web page takes a lot of time and thought, but it is well worth the effort.
Promote! Promote! Promote!
To get your web page noticed by the millions of people who surf the net everyday, you must promote your web site. Search engines and links are the best ways to generate traffic to your site.
Search engines are the best way to get your web page noticed. The search engines will send a "robot" to gather information about your web site; it gathers keywords from the text on your page and places the URL, along with the keywords on your page, in a data base. It is important to register with all of the major search engines and announcement services (What's New). It may be nessesary to re-register each time you update or change your web page.
Secondly, find other web pages similar to your own and request a link trade. Most web pages will have an e-mail link to the page's author. You will be pleasantly suprised at the amount of traffic that comes from simple link trades.