Standard Web Site Design in Basic and Small Catholic Web Site Development

Introduction to standard web site design

Learning web site development beginning May 2002, I realized the value and importance of using standard web site design. With web site design following the required standards of the Web, this will make your web pages not only aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, but also, produce web pages that load up faster in the browser. Visitors will find your site pleasing and easy to deal with.

Designing our own template

If you wish to learn the basics of web site design, there are two books which I highly recommend:

• Principles of Web Design, by Joel Sklar
• Weaving a Website, by Susan Anderson-Freed

Experience in designing my own web pages

Although I learned a lot about html, css, scripts, and the use of images in designing my own web site template, I nevertheless ended up with something I should have really expected in the first place: an amateur and novice-type attempt to standardize web site design. And so I decided to try something else. When I learned that my web hosting service package can set up a WordPress blog template for my home page, this greatly helped me develop a web site home page which follows the standards of the Web. Also, it made my home page more aesthetically pleasing to my web site visitors.

WordPress blog software is free and can easily be installed in one's web site. My experience with this blog software can help you avoid and anticipate possible problems in your Catholic web site. What is important in WordPress blog software is that you upgrade your blog software with the new releases that are strongly suggested to you by the WordPress site. And this you must do regularly. Also, you need to use strong usernames and passwords to protect well the security of your site. If you do not upgrade regularly the software updates and use strong usernames and passwords, your Catholic web site pages can get easily "hijacked" and redirected to another web site without your control or knowledge.

Purchasing templates that use standard web site design

WordPress blog software is free and it is a third-party application. We do not have full control of that software from our web hosting service. This can cause problems in the long-term when web site security has been breached by someone else. And so an alternative solution to have a standard web site design, is to purchase web site templates, were you yourself have full control of all elements of the template design. The templates that I use in this web site come from Pixelmill. Pixelmill.com also sells a wide variety of templates for anyone who wants to set-up a Catholic web site. There are also many other web sites that offer good templates and are priced just as affordably and reasonably. However, if you like excellently designed and good quality templates, then Pixelmill may help you with a solution.

Cost-cutting measure in producing standard web site design

If purchasing standard web site design templates would be too heavy for your budget, then the best and wisest action to take is to find friends who can help you design a more professional-looking template. What is important is to consider what author Lane Anderson of Smart Business Magazine, March 2002 issue, said about standard web site design. This is also the same thing Jakob Nielsen recommends for an excellent and very usable web site design. Both of them agree on the following seven points:

• Length of page: Best to limit to three full screens. Navigation links and other most-used links should go on the first screen.
• Logo: Best to place it on the upper left-hand corner.
• Search: Best to place it on the upper right-hand corner. A box is better than a link to another page.
• Download time: Since the majority of surfers are on dial-up service, a maximum of ten seconds for your pages to fully appear on the browser is the best.
• Text color: Best to always use black for all text that is to be read.
• Background color: Best to use a white background for a cleaner and clearer reading of your web site by your visitors.
• Link color: Best to use the standard - blue. Color visited links as purple and active links as red. These are all standard.

If you need more information as regards standard web site design, then you can further consult The Need for Web Design Standards, by Jakob Nielsen.

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Dennis Emmanuel Cabrera
Web Developer Methods for Catholics
www.c-web-developer.net
My Main Catholic Blog
www.c-internet-mission.net