Here are some tips to make your Webmastering easier and more productive. I'm
a former editor
for the ODP, which is the underpinning of many search engines. So, think about these
things!
- Make usefulness your primary concern. Too many pages are nothing more than
banners and links. Organize them in a special way, analyze them, whatever. But make your
page have value to the visitor.
- Make clarity a watchword. No rambling text--say what you mean to say. Eliminate
words or phrases that don't add meaning. For example, say "to" instead of
"in order to." And do no misuse words. Unique, for example, is an
absolute--you cannot have degrees of uniqueness.
- Exercise simplicity in your execution. Black text on white background is easy to
read, and the more you deviate from that, the harder your page is to read. Don't add
anything that makes your page take a long time to download--people simply won't wait. Use
a simple font or two, and go easy on colors, sizes, and other font attributes.
- Make navigation easy. People should be able to find their way around your site
without using bread crumbs.
- Focus on content, rather than features. A useful article will get more traffic
and more appreciation from visitors than will a slew of chat rooms, animations, and other
"cool" stuff. Don't fall into the trap of running every script you run across.
Use what works for the mission of your site, and discard the rest.
- Use the tools for the job. We list some great ones, above. Also, think carefully
about your hardware, software, furniture, and whatever else makes up your work
environment.
- Listen to others, and watch what other people are doing. That doesn't mean
copy them; it means see what you like and don't like. Make adjustments as needed.
- Form alliances with others. This is how you can do some very cool things without
exhausting your resources.
- Find a diversion. You need outside interests. These give you fresh ideas, and also help
you keep your perspective. Failure to do this will make itself evident in your work.
- Update often. Don't just add new pages like they are going out of style. Spend
some time "freezing" your site and evaluating what you already have. What are
its weaknesses? Look at your server logs, try things out yourself, check load times, check
links, check meta tags, check for inconsistencies in design, etc. Use an analyzer program
(see list above) to help you do this. Do a redesign every year or so, to give your site a
fresh look. And do so with your visitor's wants and needs in mind.
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