Why is it important that web pages are fast to load?

Most people won't hang around if a page takes more than a few seconds to load - they will go elsewhere.  Research has shown that five seconds is as long as the average person will wait for the first page in a site to load before giving up.  Once they are into the site, however, they will be prepared to wait rather longer, especially if they know that the page they have requested is likely to be slow (e.g. a page of photographs).       (Back)

Why is it important that web sites are elegant and unfussy?

Overcrowded pages are hard to read, and information gets overlooked.  It is better to break text up into short paragraphs.  Also, it may be fun to put lots of Flash effects or animated GIFs on your web site, but regular visitors soon get bored and annoyed by them.       (Back)

Why is it important to set out clearly all the information which you want to get across to your potential customers?

This is the main point, after all!  If visitors can't find the information they are looking for, it doesn't matter how impressive your web site may be - it is of no use to them.      (Back)

Why is it important that web sites are written to be fully compatible with all the major search engines?

Methods used by some designers have the unintended effect that the pages are overlooked by the search engines, which makes it hard for potential visitors to find the web site.  For instance, the use of frames, unless very carefully undertaken, can mean that the search engines don't index your site (and it may also be impossible for visitors to bookmark their favourite pages).  For more information about search engine compatibility, see the Search Engines page.       (Back)

Why is it important that web sites contain correct grammar, spelling and punctuation?

Nobody notices when a site gets this right;  but getting it wrong can really annoy people!  So, unlike some web designers, we are willing, at no extra charge, to check the content which you provide to make sure that it does not contain any errors of this nature.      (Back)

Why is it important that web pages can be viewed effectively with all the major browsers back to version 4, and comply with the recommendations for accessibility by blind people and those with other visual disabilities?

Writing for only the latest browsers could mean that up to 30% of visitors could not make use of your website.  You would be astonished to know how many different browsers there are in use, some of them very old and unable to interpret effects which are visible in more modern browsers, and some which can only see a small proportion of what many people consider to be the "standard" width of 1024 pixels.  There are also a lot of people who use text-only browsers, who will never see any of the graphics on your site - and many people with the more common browsers surf with graphics disabled, to speed things up.  People with visual disabilities use special text-to-speech software which reads the contents of a web site out loud to them;  it is important to ensure that your web site is written in a manner which makes sense when accessed in this way.      (Back)