Web Page Design

Web page design comes last. Only when you know exactly what each page of your poetry site aims to do is it time to plan the key elements of a successful website: attractiveness to viewers, search engine friendliness, consistent image and professional appearance. Think of web page design as part of a larger picture.

A good site has to :

  • have attractively-written and useful content.

  • follow a consistent design scheme and copy style.

  • be laid out intuitively, with clear navigational elements.

  • still look good in 256 color monitor displays.

  • display properly in the main browsers and their usual versions.

Though not entirely free any more, search engines still provide the best promotion. Help your ranking by:

  • researching the best keywords for each page.

  • optimizing title, description, page copy, links, alt descriptions and meta keywords for the researched keywords.

  • avoiding splash pages and lengthy Flash introductions.

  • avoiding frames and deep directory structures.

  • moving Javascript/Java coding from the page header as much as possible.

Look at other sites and ensure that yours is:

  • distinctive, promoting your image in a memorable fashion.

  • professional looking, inspiring trust and confidence.

  • appropriate to what you're trying to do.

  • organized around your marketing process — attention, interest, desire, decision and purchase your magazine or poetry book.

  • impossible to get lost in: all actions have been anticipated and properly channeled.

  • fast to download, ten seconds at most.

  • prominent in its display of guarantees and returns policy.

  • provided with FAQs to cover all eventualities.

  • complete with a bona fide address, email address and customer support telephone number.

  • broken into sensible sections, i.e. into pages whose appearance in the traffic statistics report helpfully on visitor behavior.

Web Page Design

Now the web page design for individual pages. It goes without saying that pages should be without broken links, coding errors or typographic blunders. Using a spellchecker is not sufficient: get them proof-read. Aesthetics is an intangible matter, and writers are not always the best judges. Have someone with a background in graphic design look them over.

Individual poets will probably want to build their own pages with one of the many HTML authoring packages. Buy a good one if you plan much web page design, and learn its functions. An outdated version of GoLive or Dreamweaver purchased half-price on eBay is probably better than a free but limited program. Poetry societies and magazines will want to consider a professional web page design companies, who handle all aspects of graphic design, programming, hosting and site promotion.

Keep it simple. You don't want full page designs that take long minutes to download. Likewise be very chary of Flash animation, or splash pages at all. However stunning the effect, they're apt to confuse the search engines and delay visitors getting to your content. You will need a logo. Companies spend hundreds, usually thousands, on this aspect of web page design, but you can get a professional-looking affair crafted online for $50. Likewise webpage templates. Most poetry websites are still fairly dreadful, but could be improved with few hours spent on the Internet or with graphic design books that deal with web page design.

You'll find more information, and Internet references on poetrymagic.co.uk.

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