Web Site Design Tips
Here are a few tips for creating a good web site. I can't guarantee that this advice is any good, since my own web site isn't exactly the most popular place on the web. If my site ever becomes popular, I'll tell you what I did to make it that way. Until then, this is my own opinion of what makes a good web site:
Content First
You are probably reading this web page because you want information on how to design a good web site. You are probably not reading this page because you want to see pretty colors and a fancy logo. In fact, I'll bet most of your time spent on the internet is used reading and searching for information. Fancy colors and cool logos are only a candy coating to make the actual information contained in a web site more attractive. Have you ever noticed how even the blandest web sites can make their way into our favorites lists, while sometimes even the most attractive web sites can be quickly passed over? The reason is because even bland sites can contain quality information, while even a pretty site is useless without content to back it up. Therefore, the first goal of a site designer is to come up with quality content. Then, once you have something worthwhile to say, you can come back later and add pretty graphics and colors.
Keep it Simple
Remember, your site should be driven by content. Does that fancy Flash animation you want to add to your site benefit the content, or will it be a distraction? How about those bright colors? Or that scrolling text? Too much flash can destroy a site by taking the user's focus away from the content and placing it on the form of the site. Flash animations, explosive colors, and scrolling messages all have their place if they add to the content of your site, such as an animation to demonstrate a particularly hard-to-explain idea, but they should never be used for their own sakes alone.
Correct Spelling and Grammar
Incorrect spelling and grammar turn people off. After all,
they think, if a web site author can't spell or write a decent sentence, how can he possibly have enough intelligence to know what he is even talking about?
Correct spelling and grammar are the first way to make your content stand out. Without them, your site will sound unimportant and be unreadable. People will probably pass it by, looking for something more solid. Unless you are a perfect speller, and not the human kind, run your content through a spelling checker at least. Letting another person read it over will also help greatly.
Danish Translation by Kate Bondareva