(This tutorial by Carl van Tonder <simplyw00x> August 2005. All rights reserved)
Basically, a huge percentage of websites are trying to sell something, either a product or a service. As it's a website, you can't really evaluate the quality of the product or the service before you actually receive it, so the onus is on your website to convince people that they should give you their monies. This guide will hopefully set you on your way to raking in said monies through a professional-looking website.
1. Make Sure It's Well Designed
Obviously a good starting point. There are hundreds, if not thousands of guides on good web design. Follow some. Some things to avoid:
- Anything flashing or moving
- A website that looks like it has (or has) been designed in Frontgpage express or Microsoft Word
- Useless JavaScripts like cursor trails or things like that
- Elements like clocks and counters that serve no purpose and/or are very unsubtle
- Counters at all. If your website gets little traffic, it makes it look unpopular. If it gets a lot, you're wasting resources counting it all.
- Equally, any kind of running statistics (members online etc.) suffer the same problem; bad appearence when low, system-heavy when high
- Animated GIFs. Already under the flashing/moving header, but as a rule of thumb, if you have animated GIFs on your website, delete it. The website, that is.
- Anything obviously lifted. The miniclip games are a good example here. By all means provide games (if it's that kind of website), but either integrate them (as a forum arcade etc.) or make your own (or link to them). Don't ever have something someone else has done/made on your site unless you need it.
- Default themes. You look like a pathetic tool if your company website happens to be the default template (or a well-known one) of the CMS you're using.
And some tips:
- Use a CMS. Static HTML looks like crap and is hell to update and leads to navigation problems
- Have good navigation. Your users should be able to reach any page with 3 clicks, and there should be no dead links.
2. The Little Things
Make sure there's nothing on your site that, whilst it looks minor, can torpedo any veneer of professionalism you may have built up. These things include:
- Dead links
- Spelling errors
- Grammar errors
(For the above 2, if your English teh suxx0rz, get someone else to check it. I'll be happy to!
- PHP error messages. Either turn them off or (ideally) fix them
- Anything else that doesn't work.
- Flash. A Flash nav bar can ruin my day. A Flash website can ruin my week. Just don't do it.
Now, not to embarass anyone, but this website (posted on Frihost), is what, for me, makes an unprofessional website. Note:
- Background that clashes, makes text difficult to read and doesn't quite wrap
- Some minor punctuation errors
- Prominent box on the left for link code, on every page. Each person can conceivably only use it once, so why make them see it all the time?
- Suffers from Frontpage syndrome; default fonts and simplistic (tabled) layout make it look really unprofessional.
- Clock that is 6 hours WRONG
- Counter that reveals how few hits they get
Now the irony here is that this is the page of a web design business. Would you trust this company to deign your page? Bearing in mind it would probably be worse than theirs, would you pay them a minimum of $100 to make your website?
This turned out a bit shorter than I'd expected, but basically, make sure it's well-designed and make sure everything works and there are no mistakes/errors. Push a strong, unified theme and make sure that all elements are both useful and fit the theme. Do all that and your website will r0x0r the internet's collective b0x0rz.
Carl out. wooow!
it's very good-10x 
| Quote: |
PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2005 5:40 pm Post subject:
wooow!
it's very good-10x Cool |
You're the reason I want to be able to report posts. You've made two posts in the past half hour that are just '10x 
' or whatever, and now you've made the same post, but added 3 words and double-posted it. You CAN delete your own posts, you know...Thats a nice list of things to be taken care while designing site..
Good consolidated list !
Good work.
THanks
Thank you for sharing. I'll take your guide and perhaps ask you some questions regarding on professionalims of my upcoming website 
Do I sound so damn formal? Sorry.. the word professional.. just.. changed me.. x.x | simplyw00x wrote: |
(This tutorial by Carl van Tonder <simplyw00x> August 2005. All rights reserved)
...
And some tips:
Use a CMS. Static HTML looks like crap and is hell to update and leads to navigation problems
|
I agree with you mainly, my website is all static html, although i use a small amount of php to include my navbar but for the most part, its just html, and I agree, it is hell to edit and a cms would probably make things easier. Which one would you recomend? | Quote: |
| I agree with you mainly, my website is all static html, although i use a small amount of php to include my navbar but for the most part, its just html, and I agree, it is hell to edit and a cms would probably make things easier. Which one would you recomend? |
Well if your website is already made, then it'll be absolute hell getting a mainstream one (mambo, PHP-Nuke, etc.) to work and maintain your site how you like it, so try a really small, simple one or make your own. Plenty of tutorials and resources; just Google.You may use sites such as http://good-tutorials.com for some help too.
Hotscripts is better; they not only have a PHP section, not only a tutorials section but also a PHP CMS tutorials section. Very useful! Nice tutorial - I like it. There are a few points I'd like to mention though.
1) Spelling and grammar are very important. Which version of English you speak/use does make a difference however. I am a native speaker, born in a former British colony, and I speak a variation of British English. I've had my spelling corrected a few times, yet it's been correct for my version of English. The best way arround this is a note in your footer, stating which version of English is being used on your site. Flags are also appropriate if done in good taste (more bandwidth though).
2) A CMS is very useful, but it's sometimes difficult to get/redesign templates to match your site (there are a lot of novices around). Most CMS are also hard to customize. In my opinion, anything with a *Nuke in it should be... nuked! I used to use Mambo, but recently switched to Etomite which offers a great deal of flexibility, and fits in to your own design nicely.
3) I have no idea how to switch off/fix the PHP error messages. I would appreciate some help with that!
4) I will be using a 'live' javascript clock on my site, since I wish to display my local time for international clients. Underneath that I have my office hours. I have found a PHP script which automagically displays an Office Open/Closed sign, but I prefer the clock. I think an "Office Closed" sign may just turn people away.
| simplyw00x wrote: |
This guide will hopefully set you on your way to raking in said monies through a professional-looking website. Follow some. Some things to avoid:
- Elements like clocks and counters that serve no purpose and/or are very unsubtle
- Use a CMS. Static HTML looks like crap and is hell to update and leads to navigation problems
- Spelling errors
- Grammar errors
- PHP error messages. Either turn them off or (ideally) fix them
Carl out. |
I trust that my comments are relevant and look forward to more tutorials like this. I would also appreciate comments on how best to avoid redundant elements. For example, If I use a CMS, Forum and Wiki all in one site, isn't that too much? Could a site with a CMS and Wiki eliminate the need for a forum? | Quote: |
| Spelling and grammar are very important. Which version of English you speak/use does make a difference however. I am a native speaker, born in a former British colony, and I speak a variation of British English. I've had my spelling corrected a few times, yet it's been correct for my version of English. The best way arround this is a note in your footer, stating which version of English is being used on your site. Flags are also appropriate if done in good taste (more bandwidth though). |
As long as all your speeling is accurate to the same standard across the page, I should think it's ok. Anyone intelligent enough to care about spelling will probably understand that spelling differs by region. The notice at the bottom of the page is a good idea though.
| Quote: |
| A CMS is very useful, but it's sometimes difficult to get/redesign templates to match your site (there are a lot of novices around). Most CMS are also hard to customize. In my opinion, anything with a *Nuke in it should be... nuked! I used to use Mambo, but recently switched to Etomite which offers a great deal of flexibility, and fits in to your own design nicely. |
As I reccommended to davmcmul, it's probably a good plan to either build your own CMS or make sure you use one that is well-documented in the source at every step of the way, and doesn't require you to learn an API of sorts to make a template for it. Basically, you need to make your website look like your website, so it's good advice to steer clear of anything that does too much for you (PHP Nuke, I'm looking at you!).
| Quote: |
| I have no idea how to switch off/fix the PHP error messages. I would appreciate some help with that! |
There's a nice tut here on suppressing error messages, but a simple Google shoud yield even more.
| Quote: |
| I will be using a 'live' javascript clock on my site, since I wish to display my local time for international clients. Underneath that I have my office hours. I have found a PHP script which automagically displays an Office Open/Closed sign, but I prefer the clock. I think an "Office Closed" sign may just turn people away. |
I like that idea, because it actually has a purpose. Just make sure it integrates well with your layout and that its graphical style is consistent with everything else. My beef is with such applets that have no purpose and don't fit in.
| Quote: |
| I trust that my comments are relevant and look forward to more tutorials like this. I would also appreciate comments on how best to avoid redundant elements. For example, If I use a CMS, Forum and Wiki all in one site, isn't that too much? Could a site with a CMS and Wiki eliminate the need for a forum? |
That depends upon what your site is based. A popular piece of open source software, for example, may want a CMS for news and downloads, a Wiki for documentation and development and a Forum for help and suggestions. It all depends on the content. Bear in mind, though, that a forum is unlikely to have as much content as a wiki, even if you spend 10x the amount of time on the Forum. Wait until you're getting a lot of hits and there is an actual need for a forum (lots of users wanting to talk to you, users asking for a help forum etc.) before comitting to it, as a dead forum can make a whole site look dead.
My advice; CMS first, and Wiki/Forum only if and when they're needed.
Thanks for the input and good luck with your website! | simplyw00x wrote: |
As long as all your speeling is accurate... |
You know I have to be an ass and point this out. I hate it when soemhting like this happens.
| Quote: |
My advice; CMS first, and Wiki/Forum only if and when they're needed.
|
Yes the greatest advice a budding webmaster needs. Until your site is popular, keep it simple. Always create the content and similar first, before using forum software.
If you absolutely have to use a forum or [god forbid] a wiki, keep the categories limited ot the size of the site. You an always add more on later. You do not want to suffer from "empty post syndrome"
The site that you mentioend before [mazza] is a true example of a waste of a TLD. It actually hurts be to see a site like that on the internet. | Quote: |
| You know I have to be an ass and point this out. I hate it when soemhting like this happens. |
First off, I cannot believe I mis-spelt spelling. Second, I can't believe you mis-spelt something in the same sentence as correctecting that mis-spelling. WHEN WILL THIS CYCLE END?
But yes. Good advice. Stick within the limits of how much content you have. Also, would you pay Mazza $100 to design a website that's going to look worse than theirs when they can't even afford paid hosting? lolololol!!!!11111oneoneone
jokes...I really have no idea how to design a website, but I hope to learn soon. Those are some good tips, because I was totally gonna go for a flash toolbar......
| simplyw00x wrote: |
First off, I cannot believe I mis-spelt spelling. Second, I can't believe you mis-spelt something in the same sentence as correctecting that mis-spelling. WHEN WILL THIS CYCLE END?
|
Hehehe Darn. Still a great article.Right. First the tutorial... It was a great idea to post a tutorial on that. Your points made sense, especially the little things... like spelling, and use of a proper, decent background, simplicity, not using unnecessary scripts like cursor trails (those used to bug the shit out of me even when I designed my *first* website with just FrontPage).
Next, about the spellings. It was hilarious to note everybody making errors while correcting each others' spellings. Anyhow, this isn't your website, it's a forum. We're all trying to basically just type what we're thinking about, before we lose our train of thought... so typos are expected 
| tidruG wrote: |
| e're all trying to basically just type what we're thinking about, before we lose our train of thought... so typos are expected |
Sorry that you took our childish jibing to heart. We didn't mean anything by it. Of course typing errors are in greater number as people try to express theselves. If we typed everything we said in a day there would be hundreds of spelling errors as we rushed to say the things we have inside our heads. | Quote: |
| 1. Make Sure It's Well Designed |
It is so easy to get caught up in the fancy or flashy scripts and loose the purpose of a good design. I agree with a good clean design with good ballance. Also try to stay away from cookie cutter templates and WYSIWYG so-called editors. Find a good HTML editor that will help you learn the basics.
One more thing no two more things, Learn to view the code of other web sites and see how they made there site (but don't copy it just learn from it.) and lots of practice 
Nice Tips Carl...
i am in the process of designing my new site....
and i am happy to know that it meets most of your stringent criterions for website design ....
and u are right ...i couldnt think of someone making such a pathetic site as mazza and having the guts to ask for designing projects.... Music, loud throbbing disco/trance/techno or anyother music. You didn't mention music! If I want music or any other sounds to come from my computer I'l damn well slide in a CD or open juk and listen.
Any sounds forced upon me while I try to peruse a website is just annoyng and no matter how important the information, if there is no way to turn it off, I'm oughta there. If you want to offer music or sound ok but offer it.
Yes, I agree that the Frihost website looks too dull. With the ads, its even worse
Hello everyone. Well this thread looks like its dried up but what the heck, I am gonna post a reply anyway! I just wanted to thank you for the awesome write up, simplyw00x. It was well written, and very well laid out. And it made perfect sense. I really loved it and I learnt some great things from you so thanks a million. I ain't exatcly a site guru myself, so the guide was very well recieved. Thanks for your great tutorials simplyw00x and I can't wait to read your other website tutorials.
I agree, It's great tutorial, easy to understand, simple but great! Thanks for information. I'lltry to be like that. 
