The Cold Hard Facts
by Pete Public

Below are a few pointers on designing an effective, searchable
site capable of luring, enticing and appeasing any average Joe (or
Josephine):

Keep It Simple, Simon:

Eliminate the urge to crowd your site with busy
backgrounds and graphics that take eons to
download. Note to webmasters and webmistresses:
Don't waste a visitors precious research time with
theatrics. I'm in search of legal information (read:
dry) so please don't try my patience with a brilliantly
choreographed dancing bill that prances and struts
arm and arm with a cigar smoking courthouse; this
"piece of work" might be pretty but it's bound to
download about as fast as it took to create.

Too Many Frames Spoil The Site:

Too many cooks spoil the pot and too many frames
do about the same thing to your site. The use of too
many frames narrows the viewing area devoted to
showcasing the information your visitor is
requesting. This is very annoying if you’re in a big
hurry and need the information ASAP; as a matter
of fact, this is very annoying even if you aren’t in a
big hurry.

Throw A Dog A Bone:

The search option should ALWAYS be one of the
first things a visitor spies on your page. Don’t make
me beg, hunt, sniff, and scratch all over your site in
search of…the SEARCH. (Note: Pertinent
information should also be easily accessible on the
Homepage; this includes Company Name, Contact
Information, E-mail - please!, and the Frames
Option.)

Size DOES Matter:

Font size should be fairly large so as to be easily
readable. This delivers much less of an eye strain to
your visitor and perhaps he or she will reciprocate
the nicety and tell all of his or her friends about the
ease in which your large font size was viewed.

So that’s my view. Take it or leave it. It’s all the same to me.

Pete Public