The Components of Your Web Site

Most clients are simply too busy running their business to worry about the arcane details you'll find here - and they ask me to use my judgment and creativity. "Surprise me!" is one request I hear a lot. Of course, I want it to be a pleasant surprise, not something out of Freddy Kreuger's latest nightmare!

So, for those who do want a more hands-on approach, I present a variety of elements to choose from. What you'll find here, of course, is merely the tip of the iceberg. My graphic archives contain approximately two million graphics of all kinds!

Animations -
Animations should be used sparingly for two main reasons: (a) they make a page load slower, and (b) they can distract from your main message. Animations can also be in the form of banners that are actually advertisements for your products or services (see BANNERS).

That said, we offer literally thousands of pre-designed animations (like the little guy here from The Animation Factory). (NOTE: This animation adds 9 seconds to page-loading time on a 28.8 kbd modem). Plus, we can create customized animations for your banners.

Also remember that search engines do NOT detect graphics. This is one good reason for having a text-based link system, even if it's combined with graphics. You can also use the graphic description ("ALT" tag) as a tool to enhance your search engine listing.

Backgrounds -
Backgrounds give a web page more "feel", more "body" and provide an alternative to the solid, flat colors generally used. Like any "extra", they cause pages to load slower. However, any graphic only needs to load once - then it is stored in the visitor's computer "cache" or memory. When it's called for on another page, it loads almost instantly - not from your web site, but from the visitor's computer "cache."

Many background graphics are small and are "tiled" or repeated to cover a page - quick loading time = happy visitors. I have a library of thousands to select from.

Banners -
These are those boxy ads you see by the gazillions on every web site you visit. Often obnoxious, annoying and tedious, they are not a very effective form of advertising. People have learned to shut them out. You can buy software like Pop-Up Stopper that keeps the pop-up banners from even showing up on your screen.

Nonetheless, used sparingly and as a complement to your primary web site message, they can be effective attention-getters ... but don't let them become a distraction. (You'll find one of ours at the top of this page).

Bars -
See the long horizontal line separating each of these sections? Those are "bars." The ones you see here are the simplest and fastest-loading. But you can get downright fancy. I have a library of thousands to select from.

Buttons -
Some people like fancy little buttons to click on to go to other pages. Others use text-based links (as I do at the top of the page). Since it is a graphic, a button adds to page-loading time, but they can help create a theme or set a mood. I have a library of thousands to select from.

Colors -
While your monitor may be able to display 16 million+ colors, there are only about 200 colors that are considered "web safe." That's because there's a wide difference in monitors - some people have their monitors set at only 256 colors to make their computers run faster. See the WEB-SAFE COLORS here. You should limit your color selections to these.

Graphics -
A graphic is anything that isn't text. That includes artsy bars, banners, buttons, backgrounds, animations, etc., etc. Done right, they help dress up a page and make it more attractive ... but avoid large slow-loading graphics. In 15 seconds, your visitor will have given up and gone elsewhere with a click of the mouse. I have a library of thousands to select from.

You can use "thumbnails" to link to larger pictures - giving the user an option whether they want to look at it or not rather than forcing it on them. (Click on the photo in the upper right corner to see it).

Javascript -
Computer geeks who design web pages like to show off "the latest and greatest" technology - even if it drives your site into the ground. For one, they can charge big bucks for words like "java", "java beans" or "javascript" - most people don't know what it means, but - hey, it sounds great and justifies those big invoices.

Actually, javascript can be pretty nice, as it allows more interaction between your site and your visitors. Other times, they are worthless, trivial trinkets - nothing more than eye candy. I have a library of hundreds to select from.

Logos -
Since I'm not a professional artist, I don't offer logo design. If you own a business, chances are you already have a logo - and that's what you should use on your web site. However, I can hook you up with logo designers far more talented than I.

Menus -
A menu simply shows your choices and lets you pick one with a mouse click. The two lines of blue letters you see at the top of this page make up the simplest of menus. This is text-based so it loads quickly and can be easily altered. Others are more artsy and some even include Javascript.

Music -
As more computer users listen to MP3s, CDs and even watch DVD movies on their computer, they have purchased better speaker systems. So many web owners have decided to cram their site with music files - usually something called MIDI files. MIDI files load much, much faster than MP3s, but they don't sound the same on all computers, depending on the quality of your sound card and speakers.

If you have to include a music file, keep it short and simple and use it to set or enhance the "mood" of your site ... unless, of course, your web site is one that specializes in offering music files. I have a library of thousands to select from.

Special Effects -
There are any number of special effects - some classy, some cheesy - that can make a visitor stop and take notice. Many of them are based on Java (not the same as Javascript) and so they might not work on all computers. Some of these effects include rain, snow and rippling water effects that bring a page to life. I have a library of hundreds to select from.

Templates -
This list is arranged alphabetically, but in truth Templates should be at the top of the list. The template is the mold from which all your other pages are created, and so it must be completed first. It contains the basic look and feel of your site - the menus, color schemes, element placement, etc I have a library of hundreds to select from, but usually create them from scratch.

Type Styles -
Like colors, you have to be very careful in selecting type styles ("fonts"). While there may be millions available, most people only have what's on their computer, e.g. what shipped with Windows or their Mac Operating System (OS). If you toss them something they don't have on their own computer, your page is not going to look at all like it did when you designed it. Stick to the basic, familiar fonts and you'll be OK. See the safe ones here.

Other -
Those things that don't justify a category of their own, in alphabetical order.

AFFILIATE ADS: Everyone wants you to use your web site as their store front, cluttering up your pages with their ads and banners. Is it worth it? Not as a rule. You have to be very careful in selecting your affiliates and in coordinating their offers with your own site to maximize the effect. Otherwise, you're just paying for their advertising ... after all, the bill for hosting your site comes out of your bank account, not theirs.

AUTO-RESPONDERS: In theory, they're great. Someone visits your site, is interested and sends you an e-mail asking for more information. Rather than having to individually type and mail a response, your auto-responder does it for you - instantly and automatically. It can even send out automatic follow-up e-mails at time intervals you specify. Unfortunately, they have now become a target for e-mail spammers and most of those "interested visitors" turn out to be someone trying to sell you penis enlargement, home refinancing, rip-off credit card offers, Russian-Phillipino brides, etc., etc.

e-COMMERCE: These are specially-designed pages (and painstakingly complicated and long!) that allow you to sell things online - products or services - and get paid instantly. I use (and recommend) PayPal, though there are others. And if you have more money than sense, you can always set up an online merchant credit card account ... but avoid CardService International if you do!

CONTENT: If you turned on the TV every day and all you ever saw was the same old re-run (not the series, just a single episode!), you probably wouldn't be a couch potato very long. Apply the same rule to your web site. Fresh content brings repeat visitors. You can either provide that content yourself, get it free, or try a combination of the two. (See FREEBIES below).

COUNTERS: Counters are a handy and quick little glance at how popular your site is and how it's growing. But there are counters ... and there are counters. Get one that gives you actual unique visitors, not a number that reflects every "hit" - every picture, every button, every banner. Also, counters can be easily manipulated like the odometer on a car, so the numbers may not mean much. For a better way, or at least supplemental way, see TRAFFIC REPORTS below.

FLASH or SWISH: Another one of those fancy, high-priced tools that justify large web design prices. Have you ever logged onto a web site and waited for what seemed like hours while some inane little animation loaded, and at the bottom or in the middle you may have seen the words "Flash loading..." Usually it wasn't worth the wait and, if you're like most of us, you didn't wait around.

Swish is just the poor man's version of the program called Flash (about $50 vs. $700). Used sparingly - and I mean very sparingly - Flash/Swish can be a nice, effective touch to a page. Problem is, most people greatly overdo it, on the advice of a webmaster who should know better.

FREEBIES: There are tons of free material out their for web sites - much of it very good and some of it - well, I won't go there. But there's always a price. Usually, it's in the form of a small ad that is connected to the free feature. Most of the time, it's quite acceptable - and it certainly beats the higher-priced alternatives. But if you really want a classy-looking web site, you may opt out for the paid versions. I have a library of thousands to select from.

LINK PAGES: Your ranking on search engines is either (a) a popularity contest or (b) dependent on how much money you pay to get listed. Your ranking is definitely affected by how many other sites link to yours, so it may behoove you to play the "scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" game of exchanging links to non-competing sites. PLUS it will give your readers additional content you could never afford (in either time or money) on your own.

SEARCH ENGINES: Search engines used to serve as an index to the Internet. Today they want money (Yahoo! charges $299 a year). While they're your lifeblood, don't fall for the scams and remember - there are plenty of ways to get good search engine listings without shelling out a fortune. (See "Phoenix Technologies - What We Offer in Search Engine Optimization" for real-world examples).

TABLES: Tables are little boxes with or without borders that are used to highlight certain things or to control the layout and spacing and set certain elements apart from others in a consistent manner. For an example, see "Sample Backgrounds".

TRAFFIC REPORTS: My favorite is HitBox Central. It gives you the most detailed reports on your visitors you could imagine - without revealing personally-identifiable information. More than a hundred reports are available - everything from what countries visitors come from to most popular pages, how long they spend on a page (or your site), peak traffic hours of the day, etc., etc. Even search words used, referring search engines, etc. PLUS it's all free! I recommend it heartily to every one of my clients.

There are still other such as ASP, DHTML, SHTML and on and on, but I won't bore you with the details. Either I don't often recommend them or, to be honest, I don't know how to do that kind of programming and am too busy to learn.

BELOW: See the automatic copyright notice, the "YOU ARE HERE" breadcrumb trail, Page Update Notice and E-Mail? These are all little extras I provide to my clients for free. The e-mail is anti-spam. It works normally, but is hidden from the software spammers use to sweep millions of web sites every day (including yours) to harvest your e-mail address so they can send you junk mail.

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Thu Mar 19 2009 21:35:07 GMT-0500 (Central Daylight Time)
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