CONTENT
CONTENT
CLEAN UP
PAINT UP
FIX UP
GOOD SITES
ABOUT US
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CHECKLIST
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The CONTENT of your site is its most important feature. Without content, the site is a mere collection of graphics and items common to every web site. Content makes the site “searchable” and “interactive”. Without these two key features, and the best use of them, you need not have bothered to get on the web. The most important element of content is clear and persuasive text. If you can't understand it, or it does not move you to action, then it will not reach your audience either.
Clean Up
Many sites have been untouched for months or even years. This old information is probably no longer useful and may be inaccurate. A CLEAN UP of the site looks for outdated material, spelling and grammar errors, weak or confusing text, and so forth. Another element of clean up is the careful placement of text, both visible and invisible (called meta-data) that is used by the many search engines on the web to index and classify your site for their users. Lack of care in this area will mean that your site will not be listed.
Paint Up
The PAINT UP process also has two components. First, the removal, or modification, of ineffective graphic elements, particularly on the home page. This results directly in reduction of the time needed to open your home page. After about ten seconds, most of your audience will have moved to another site, if the home page is not complete and clear. Second, the content is reviewed for appearance, contrast, and printability. Use of “artistic” colors and backgrounds for text can result in difficult reading and near-impossible printing, reducing the ability of your site to be convincing. A dramatic appearance is rarely useful when you are trying to convey information convincingly.
Fix Up
FIX UP is the removal of outright errors. While your site may have been “perfect” when first created, things change quickly on the web. Fix up includes the repair or improvement of the "site navigation” or menus. Pages that have “dead ends” and difficulty moving through your information will also result in your audience leaving your site before you have accomplished your objectives. In addition, many sites have links to other sites. Each of these links should be tested for the current state of the linked site. Finally, the feedback or response portions of your site are tested. There is no point in being on the web if you do not intend to communicate with your audience. Forms and email addresses should be simple, clear and accurate.
Good Site Design
Good web site design, often considered an artistic effort, is actually much more complex. While great graphics, good color choices and other graphic design elements are important, the function of a web site is communication. First, you get your message over to the audience on your site, and then, you get a response. If you do not get a response, your site has probably failed its purpose! There are lots of groups with ideas on GOOD SITE DESIGN, and we have provided a checklist and some links that you can use to evaluate your own web site.