Top do's and don't for websites

[cyrus]

Lets collect a list of the top do's and don'ts for photographer websites for future reference.

My top 10:

1- Minimize the use of Flash: Flash can do some fancy presentation tricks, but in most instances these tricks can either also be done with plain html/css, or are annoying & useless and so should not be done at all anyway. Also, excessive flash reliance syndrome hurts search engine rankings.

2- Use more text where you can: photography sites are naturally image-heavy, but search engines rely on text to index and rank your site. They can't "see" images. So, don't skip opportunities to use text. Links, for example, should be text-based and not images. Use the "alt" tag. If you're posting a photo, include some text that describes the photo (subject, location, your thoughts on it, etc) All of this makes for a more informative and useful site too. Do you really need an image logo, or will a text logo work just as well? etc

3- No splash pages: splash pages are the introductory or opening pages to your site, which typically consist of an image plus a little "Enter" link. Get rid of these immediately. They are entirely useless and annoying and accomplishe nothing. And for God's sake don't put a long fancy Flash intro on your splash page either, not even with a "skip this intro" option.

4- Galleries: should be easily navigable. Use thumbnails: Once I select a gallery of images to view, I should be able to go straight to a particular photo that strikes my fancy by previewing the thumbnails, instead of having to go through 20 images before I come to the one I really want to see. Also, if I am halfway through one gallery, I should be able to stop viewing it entirely and instead skip directly to another gallery or go back to the homepage of your site. So, let me find my way around easily by including a decent range of navigation options instead of just "next image/previous image".

5- Size/quality of images: A tiny photo of yours won't tell me much. Make it bigger. But also make sure your photos are adjusted using a calibrated monitor and optimized for web displays. Double check to make sure that the background color does not clash/distract from the photo.

6- Text vs. Background contrast: Its fashionable to make text color and background colors roughly the same - thus making it impossible to see the text easily. Have pity on our eyes and add a little more contrast between the text and the background. Or, if you're using a background tiling image, make sure it isn't too "busy" so as to overwhelm the text on the foreground. On the other hand, don't overdo the contrast. Green text on a bright yellow background will quickly induce sea sickness.

7 - Links: It is fashionable to remove the underline from links - thus making sure that a link is indistinguishable from normal text on your site, and so minimizing the chances that anyone will actually click on a link - which kinda defeats the purpose. Sure, you could add a hover effect - an underline or a change of color that appears when your mouse hovers over the link - but who has the time to mouse around looking for links? Just make the link look like a link by using the underline and use a distinguishable text color to indicate links, and all will be well. And while we're at it: consistency. Choose your color scheme/layout and be consist about it across your site; don't switch link colors on different pages.

8- Cross-browser compatibility: test out your site on multiple browsers. What works on Internet Explorer will not necessarily work on Firefox.

9- Edit your text: Long, wordy, jargon-filled self- promotional text is a turnoff. Most people who use the web only scan through text and don't actually read every word on a web page - thank goodness, because most writing on the web is gawd awful (yes, this post included) so do a bit of editing and keep it short & sweet. Remember to spell check. Break up large chunks of text into discrete paragraphs that each communicate a specific point (and highlight or bold it.) And if you don't have a point to communicate, shut the hell up.

10- Link out! Include some links to other sites/sources of info - a lot of people will stumble across your site because they're looking for that other info. If your site becomes a good source to find other info, users are more likely to visit your site again. Also outgoing links will improve your site's search engine rankings somewhat (incoming links really help most!)