Section 13.3. Web Page Design Tips

13.3. Web Page Design Tips

Having a quill pen can't make you write like Charles Dickens, and the same is true for designing Web pages. Having the tools to make a Web page and having the skills to create an attractive page that keeps visitors coming back are two different things. Here are some design tips to help you become a master Web designer:

• Use tables to organize your Web page . Tables are the all-purpose tool used by most Web designers to organize text, graphics, and other elements of a Web page. Place your text inside tables to control the line length and keep important graphics aligned with the text.

• Avoid lines of text with more than 50 characters . If you don't rein it in, Word tends to give you extremely long lines of text. Long lines are difficult for readers to follow. Most readers don't even tackle text that looks hard to read. Even if they do, they'll stop reading if it's too difficult

• Avoid common body text faux pas . Text is harder to read on a computer screen than it is on the printed page, so it's important to make it as easy as possible for your Web site visitors. If you use 10-point type for body text on the printed page, you won't go wrong using 11- or 12-point type for your Web pages.

• Avoid clutter . A common mistake made by amateur Web designers is to cram too much into a page. One of the great pleasures of Web design is that real estate doesn't cost a thing. It's better to add a new page than to force too much into a single page. By keeping clutter to a minimum, you can be certain that visitors to your page focus on the graphics and headings you think are most important.

• Use common fonts such as Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Times and Times Roman . You don't have any control over the fonts on your visitors' computers. If they don't have the fonts that you used to design your page, then it's going to look very different on their screen. You can be pretty sure that they have a few basic fonts including the ones listed above.

• Use Word's Themes to choose complementary colors . One great tool that Word 2007 adds to the Web design mix is Themes. When you choose a theme for your document, you can be certain that you've got a good collection of complementary and contrasting colors for designing your Web page. Use these colors for backgrounds, body text, headings, and graphics.

• Use headings, pull quotes, and short blocks of text to engage your visitors . Web pages aren't novels . Edit your text to reduce the amount of text on your pages, and use headings, pull quotes, and other devices to draw readers into the body text.

• Use a consistent navigation tool on each page . If you're designing a series of Web pages, you'll do your visitors a great favor if you have a single, consistent tool for moving from one page to another. Place it at the top or on the left side where experienced Web surfers expect to find a navigation bar.

• Use pictures and graphics to deliver your message . People don't read Web pages the same way they read a book. They decide quickly whether your page is worthy of their valuable time. They'll absorb the message in a photo, a drawing, or some other graphic much more quickly than they'll read text. Hook them with your graphics, and then entice them with headings or strategic pull-quotes from your text.

• Remember, hyperlinks don't have to be blue and underlined . The geeky standard for hyperlinks is blue, underlined text. For most well-designed Web pages, this look is too jarring. Create a consistent design for your hyperlinks. You can use any of the font formatting on the ribbon (Home Font). Once you have a style you like, you can save it as a style, and then apply it to all your hyperlinks. To create a new style, select your formatted text, and then go to Home Styles Save as New Quick Style.