Website Design Tips



• Avoid garish color combinations which may be fine for the bedroom walls of a 12-year-old but not for a website.
• Avoid unreadable type and background color combos. It’s tough to read navy blue words on a black background.
• Avoid “reverse” type (light words on a dark background) except for small sections. Never do a whole page in reverse.
• Avoid cutesy animations—out of style since 1987.
• Avoid frames—out of style and a PITA.
• Avoid designs that require scrolling to the side.
• Keep your important information visible without scrolling down. (It would be “above the fold” in a newspaper.)
• Avoid centered text except for headlines and subheads.
• Don’t use more than two or three typefaces.
• Serif faces, such as the ubiquitous Times New Roman, are hard to read in small sizes.
• Italics are often hard to read in small sizes.
• Test to make sure your site looks right with multiple web browsers on different size monitors with different screen resolutions. Check it on an iPad and cellphones, too.
• Make sure people can easily find contact information, especially your email address.
• Have a link to the homepage from every page.
• If your website does not allow people to order books, include links to your books on bookselling sites. Don’t just mention that the book is “available at Amazon.com.”
• Have at least two people proofread the website.
• Include important keywords as often as possible without seeming artificial.
• Don’t try to scam the search engines by using white type on a white background, black on black, etc.
• Update often with new material, or even a new look.
• Sound effects may be more annoying than productive.