Here is a list of some good practices when designing your website. They can save a lot of heartache in the end if thought through from the beginning.
Navigation
Be certain the navigation is clear and concise. The navigation menu should be uncluttered so all visitors know how to navigate throughout your website with minimal confusion.
Less Images
Keep the number of images to a minimum. This causes your site to load slowly and more often than not they are unnecessary. If you have an image that is absolutely necessary then be certain to use an image editing program – there are some free ones available – to optimize the image for the web to keep minimal file sizes.
Scripting Languages
Keep away from scripting languages unless needed to manipulate data. If you use scripts to create visual enhancements then you are slowing down the loading time of your site. Another issue is that some scripts are unsupported on certain browsers, so certain end users may miss important information as a cause of using them.
Use CSS
Make it a habit of using CSS style sheets on all of your websites. To style an element on all of your pages with a few lines of code will help load the website faster, be less code induced, and make for a better experience for the end user.
W3C Standard
Use the W3C standard. This is universal compliance for web designers and web developers. Your site may look wonderful in Internet Explorer but may break horribly in Firefox and Safari. This can lead to a large percentage of visitors leaving your site, as people are set on their particular viewing pleasure.
