HTML versions

Three levels of HTML 4.0 operation

• Write clearly but be brief
• Organize the pages for quick scanning
• Use headings to summarize titles
• Use lists
• Don't forget link menus (List is quick scan and also good navigational tool)
• Don't bury important information in a lot of text.
• Short, clear paragraphs
• Make each page stand on its own
• Use descriptive titles
• Provide a navigational link
• Do not split topics/explanations over several pages
• Use emphasis sparingly
• Too much bold, italics, or ALL CAPS can be difficult to read
• Do not overuse color
• Limit animation and pictures to what is necessary
• Make link text single words or a short phrase
• No l33t (technical jargon)
• "Click here" - may be using mouse-less system. Also, avoid "here" syndrome
• "To save this page,..." - Viewer may have different browser and need different methods
• "Use back button to"... - Viewer may have different browser/system
• Spellcheck and proofread your pages carefully
• Keep the design of each page as simple as possible
• Use headings as headings; as a signal of new topic and not as a means to add emphasis
• Group related information visually
• Use a consistent Layout
• Consistent page elements
• Consistent forms of navigation
• External style sheets can enforce uniformity
• Do not make assumptions about visitor's hardware/software
• Screen/browser dimensions may be different
• Color capabilities may differ
• Preserve good contrast between background/text/links
• Color contrast sufficient to be readable
• Increasing font size of text can offset low-contrast background
• Make sure background images do not interfere with text
• Whenever possible, provide a link to home page
• If an e-commerce site, provide images of products as possible
• Design for experience level of your customer
• Provide an adequate explanation of the navigation system of the site (Site maps very useful)

• Use descriptive text with the tag - if necessary give explanation and not just name of page/site
• Use links inside paragraphs sparingly. Can be difficult to read and visually sort out.
• Avoid the "here" syndrome. No "click here" or "Select this link". Write the text first, and then pick what portion of the text is best suited as the link.
• Make each link count. Is it necessary to the site? Does it impede the flow of information?

• Don't overuse images.
• Each image used is one more file that must be loaded, which takes time and bandwidth.
• Too many images on a page can be confusing and distracting
• Provide alternatives to images where possible - not all browsers support graphics
• Keep images small - in presentation and file size
• A page should load at 3-4 KB per second with 56Kbps modem. For an entire page to load in 20 seconds, page and associated files can not exceed 80KB
• For larger images, create thumbnails
• Save images as both GIF and JPG and compare which is smaller
• The fewer colors in a GIF file, the smaller the file
• Crop (remove unnecessary elements) or scale (shrink) the physical size of the image
• Crop/scale an image to smaller size, then use the height/width attributes to expand it as needed on the page

Information useful to include:
• Contact information of creator/person responsible for page
• Status of page -completed, work in progress, 2nd of 6
• Date last revised
• Copyright/trademark information
• URL so easily available if printed
• Link to mailto: URL