Traps to avoid when developing your web site

I'd like to share some things with you that are wise to avoid. Some of this may seem a little technical if you have no experience, but they're important, to insure that your web site looks and functions the way you want it to, for everyone who visits it.

Your site should be built on modern standards (more on that, below) and hosted properly, so it can last. You don't want to build a site, only to find that in a few months, you have to move it and/or rebuild it from scratch, because you chose poorly in the beginning. I've been there and done that, and can save you that hassle. As with everything in life, things that are "cheaper" or "easier" at first glance usually have a drawback. Here are a few of the major ones, which you can forget about if I build your site.

Free Web Hosting! - Sounds great, doesn't it?

There are a variety of services on the internet that offer "Free Domain Names" and/or "Free Web Hosting". Of course, there is always a "catch". The most obvious one is that all of these services will want to place advertising on your site, which you have no control over. This advertising rarely has anything to do with the content of your site, and is a telltale sign to your visitors that you're "cheap". If your site visitors click these advertising links, they leave your site, and someone else makes money.

Typically, these services also limit the amount of space you can use for your files. If this is your first web site, you may think it's not important, but what happens as your site grows, and you run out of space? A typical "proper" hosting plan like those provided by GoDaddy gives you plenty of space to grow, along with many other added services, such as search engine submission, traffic tracking, etc..

"Google" now offers (free) "AdSense" ads you can place on your properly-hosted site if you like, that are specifically targeted to the content on your site. And, when visitors click on those links, YOU make money.

The Language of the Web...

Web pages are not just "typed" in normal spoken language. There are a variety of languages you'll hear about, from the "old" HTML to newer standards like XHTML, XML, and several others. While you may not be directly involved in the process, it's important to make sure that your site is built on a modern standard, which will last for several years at least. For example, the World Wide Web Consortium, the organization that basically sets worldwide web standards, recommended way back in 1999 that we all switch from HTML to XHTML. So, if you use a piece of software that still uses only HTML, (see below) then you should be aware that it's an older standard. HTML is not completely dead, due to the desire of browser manufacturers to provide support for the many non-updated sites, but you will probably do better with something more modern.

You'll see a few references below to "bloated code", and "sloppy-looking source code". Why is this important? Well, if you decide to take over your web site updates yourself, or transfer it to another person, it becomes hugely-important. How can you or your new "web person" update your site if they can't understand the existing code? It does matter, even though it's invisible to your site visitors. It can be like trying to understand someone else's shorthand. Keep it neat!

Template-driven, online "Web Site Builders"

If you're new on the web, you might appreciate that a particular service provides an "easy online site builder", into which you can place your text and images, resulting in an almost "instant" web site. There are "catches" in regard to that, too...

Typically, these online "site builders" have severe limitations as to what can go on the page. You must use their colors, their template, their advertising, and live with a limited number of images per page, etc.. At their very best, these things produce what we call "bloated code", meaning that the (invisible to the web surfer) code that composes your web pages is much more than what's required, resulting in slower loading of your pages, and a "generic" look.

These sites are limited in how they can be built, maintained and improved, because you only have access to them via the "site builder", and not directly. If the "site builder" changes, or the company goes out of business, etc., you have trouble.

Inexpensive home-style "site builder" applications, like Microsoft "Front Page"

There are two things that I've seen many times in web sites built with these tools, that can severely handicap your site. On item (in "Front Page") that I find annoying is that the style sheet and other "template" items are stored on Microsoft's servers, and are not directly accessible to the user. You're stuck with what they provide, and your site load times are dependent on how busy these servers are, every time the site loads.

The other thing is that the fonts seem to default to PC-based fonts. Have you ever seen a web site where some of the text displays like "&^*"%#*)(@"Yjeufehawe87" or other gibberish? This happens on any computer, when the font specified in the web page does not exist on the viewer's computer. The fix for this is to use "internet-safe" fonts, which is easy enough, but apparently this software doesn't adequately warn the user. Amazingly, there are LOTS of these unreadable sites in existence.

High-end software, like Adobe's "GoLive" or Macromedia's "DreamWeaver"

I've used both of these products, and they're great pieces of work. Used by professionals worldwide, they allow us to quickly "drag and drop" elements into a web site, and create something that generally works. If you don't mind spending something like $600 for the initial buy, and then paying for annual upgrades of around $100, this is an option to consider. You'll still have to learn the software, but as software of this type goes, these two applications are very good.

Still, these products create bloated code, and produce sloppy-looking source code pages which are nearly impossible for a non-pro to understand. I've certainly been happy using them myself, and they've saved me some time. But today, I don't use any of them, and instead, I hand-code my sites in a simple text editor, producing source code that has at least 15% less bulk, (which means they load faster) and they're much easier to read and edit.

The Browser Trap, and the Font Trap

In a perfect world, a web site would look and function the same in every browser, and on every kind of computer.
Maybe that will be true someday, but in the meantime...

The font issue mentioned above can be solved easily. Simply use internet-safe fonts, which display properly in all browsers, and on all computers. If you have special typography that's absolutely required, such as a logo, those things can be converted to images, and will then display properly. (like the logo at the top of this page)

After a web site is built, it's absolutely vital that it's tested in different browsers, and also on different operating systems. If you're a PC user, you must test the site on a Mac, and vice versa. Otherwise, you can go along blindly thinking that your site is fine, when a large chunk of the population sees it as "junk". It's the nature of most web surfers that they will very rarely bother to contact you with that information. Instead, they'll simply go to another web site.

Accessibility - What about visitors to your site with special needs?

Although not perfect yet, one of the advantages of using the combination of CSS and XHTML is that you can provide visually-impaired web surfers with a way to understand your web site, even if they are completely blind. We can insert code, invisible to your visitors, that will activate (verbal) "screen readers" for those who cannot see your material. Even your images and movies can include descriptions or "captions" for these screen readers. You'd want this, if you had such an impairment, wouldn't you?

There is a growing number of people who will want to view material on the internet via non-standard means, including a whole range of small handheld devices like cell phones and PDA's... your "business man on the go", and a huge number of kids using various "gadgets". Again, CSS provides a way to organize content for these devices, completely behind the scenes and invisible to standard computer users.

A static web site dies a quick death.

Web surfers are a fast-moving and fickle bunch. It goes with the territory of being "high tech". If visitors return to your site more than a couple of times, without seeing updates, they'll stop visiting. So, update your site at least once a month, or watch it die.

If your content is, by it's nature, static, (such as a series of photos, or the text of a particular article you've published) that content should go on some page other than your "home" or "index" page. Keep your "home" page (at least) refreshed with new content, latest news, upcoming events, fresh photos, or even some random commentary. But keep it interesting for your visitors.

Too much information?

Think in advance about some sort of hierarchy for your site. Even if you don't have much in each category at the beginning, try and plan your content so that it fits into different "boxes" on your site. (typically, the links at the top of the page) It's much easier for your visitors to find what they want if the information is broken up into smaller chunks. Don't try and cram "everything you know" onto one huge page, hoping that your visitors will scroll endlessly to the bottom.

These tips will get you started, and you'll develop your own concepts as your site develops.
It's your site, so have fun with it, and express yourself!

- Mike James