INTERNET.(guidelines for building a Web site)(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)

Weaving your first Web site

Haven't jumped aboard the runaway Web train yet? Not everyone needs a site, but if you maintain a private Internet account with an ISP such as BigPond, OzEmail or Zip World, it probably permits you to post a Web site. Advertising your business isn't the only reason to publish a site -- the Web is a good way to share photos or information with family and friends, or to share your expertise in a particular area with people around the world.

Probably the easiest way to start is to launch the Web-authoring tool that comes with your browser. Netscape's Communicator includes Composer; choose Start-Programs-Netscape Communicator-Netscape Composer to run it. Starting with version 4.0, Internet Explorer includes Front. Page Express. To launch it, choose Start-Programs-Internet Explorer-Front Page Express (Start-Programs-Accessories-Internet Tools-FrontPage Express with IE 5).

If Front Page Express isn't installed on your PC and you use Internet Explorer 4 as your Web browser, choose Start-Settings-Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs, pick the Windows Setup tab, double-click the Internet Tools entry in the Components list, check Microsoft FrontPage Express in the resulting Components list, and click OK twice to start the installation. If your browser is IE 5, you can download FrontPage Express 2 from Microsoft's Windows Update site (windowsupdate.microsoft.com).

You can use these tools to get an uncomplicated site up and running quickly, but it pays to know the basics of HTML (short for HyperText Markup Language). The authoring tools don't always do a perfect job of generating HTML, and they don't let you create every kind of HTML command, or tag. PageResource.com offers dozens of Web design tutorials, including beginning HTML guides, at www.pageresource.com/html/ hclist.htm. Or go straight to the source: HTML 4.0 lead architect Dave Raggett's "Getting Started With HTML" at www.w3.org/MarkUp/ Guide.

Less is more

Web sites can contain lots of things -- animated graphics, image maps, scripting, background images, background music, and colour, colour, colour. But they don't have to. Your site's most important element is text; it should be as concise as possible and sensibly organised via HTMEs headings, paragraphs, and lists. Put anything that interferes with your message on the to-be-jettisoned list.

Background colours and bitmaps can make your page pretty, and they often improve on the default grey background that browsers display when a page does not specify a background colour. White or light-coloured text on a black or very dark background can be fairly readable as well, but, for a really radical scheme, consider black text on a white background. It works for books, magazines and newspapers, and it works on the Web too. Don't take my word for it -- check out pcworld.idg.com.au for proof.

Text is your site's main ingredient, but images are the spice that gives the content flavour -- the trick is not to add too much. Even a tiny graphic slows a page's load time, and the longer you make visitors wait, the greater the chance they'll hit the Back button and go elsewhere. As a rule of thumb, keep your pages under 50KB -- some top sites, such as Yahoo's, are even smaller. For help slimming your JPEG images, visit the Online JPEG Wizard at www.jpegwizard.com.

Time for a redesign?

Perhaps your site needs a refresh too. It's not a trivial decision: if your visitors are used to finding information in a certain way or place, reshaping the geography could put them off. The job might take longer than you expect, especially if your site has grown over the years. On the other hand, if the new design snakes the site easier to use, the pain may be worth enduring.

If you can't imagine changing your site's look or you need structural ideas, scout the Web. Look for sites that present information in a way that would make sense for you -- and steal the design. If you can't figure out how a particular site works, choose View-Source in Internet Explorer, or View-Page Source in Navigator to see the HTML code that makes it tick.

The Web is also a great place to learn how not to design your site. If you're considering adding Web doodads, take a few minutes to revisit some of the garish, blinking, flashing sites that drive you crazy. More important, observe how frequently designers -- both professional and amateur -- let their enthusiasm get in the way of easy navigation. For the bottom line on what not to do, see Jakob Nielsen's "Top Ten Mistakes in Web Design" at www.useit.com/ alertbox/9605.html.