Fine Tuning your Website
Checking your website
You've organized your files, created the directories and
uploaded your web pages. Once your site is online, the first
thing you should do is go through each page as a visitor would,
checking to make sure all the graphics are displaying and the
links work. Every page on your website should have descriptive
names rather than just page 1, page 2, etc. If you have a page
of links, name that file ''links.html''; if you have a FAQ page,
it should be named ''faq.html'', etc.
It is imperative that you check and double check the spelling
and grammar on all your web pages. Web users have Iess tolerance
for misspellings than any other consumer and tend to base their
opinion of your whole site on that one typing error. Believe me,
even when you are careful, it's easy to overlook some of the
most obvious errors.
Note: It is a good idea to get in the habit of using Iowercase
Ietters to name files, graphics, directories, etc. Again, some
web hosts require you to use all lowercase. More important
however, is that it will help prevent errors in coding. If
everything is Iowercase, you will not make the error of not
capitalizing the name of a directory or graphic.
Loading times
Take note of how long it takes your pages to load; if it is over
30 - 45 seconds, you need to remove or shrink the size of some
of your graphics. Optimize your graphics for the smallest file
size that will still maintain a clear image. This is
accomplished with the use of a graphics program such as
Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. Use flashy technology (Javascript,
Flash, Streaming Audio/Video, animation) sparingly and only if
it is important to your presentation.
Navigation
Now look at the navigation system...is it easy to find and to
understand? Will it take visitors where they expect to go? Does
every page have a Back, Next and Home link? Be sure to check
your navigation. Have a friend or colleague proof read your web
pages. Get their opinion on whether your site is easy to
navigate and easy to read.
Overall design
You should also Iook at the overall design of the site. Will
visitors know what type of website this is? Are the pages
consistent so that your visitors will always know they are still
on your site and where to find the navigation links? Do your
message board, order form, survey and e-mail links all function
properly? Have a friend Iook at your site now that it is online
and listen to their comments.
View your web pages in both Internet Explorer and Netscape and
at different resolutions and browser font sizes. Check it in
every possible way you can; whether there is enough white space
or objects are too crowded; and whether the graphics relate to
the content.
Be sure to use directories to organize the different components
of your website. If you are going to design/create more than one
website, have a separate directory folder for each site.Within
each website directory folder, create a directory for each
section of your website and within those folders, separate
directories for graphics, photos and/or other subsections such
as message boards.