IMAGES & LAYOUT

1) Bigger isn’t always better!
When you are looking for images for your site, try not to exceed 10-12KB per image. Yes, anything bigger than that will be fine for broadband users, but there are still some people out there with slower internet connections, so don’t use huge images that are going to slow them down!

2) A picture paints a thousand words!
So, if your site is about seagulls and you put in a picture of your pet cat, what does that have to do with the content of your website? The only exception to this rule is ‘design’ images – photos or graphics that help make up the design of the page and are not intended to illustrate your site’s content.

3) No flashing in public!
Don’t use images that move or blink or rotate or flash or anything like that on your page if you have the choice. Flashing graphics distract people and annoy them. Some people will actually physically cover them up in order to concentrate on reading the text. If they are going to do that, what’s the point in including them in the first place?

LAYOUT

4) Stick to the Standards
Some sites may use up to 8 frames on each page; others may have text going all the way across the screen so you only have to scroll to the right instead of scrolling down. These ideas may seem quirky, and be fun to build, but they can frustrate your readers! The three column layout is so popular on websites and newspapers because it’s what works the best. Quirky ideas may be fun to set up, and the standard layout may seem boring, but you are probably better to stick to something that you know everyone is going to understand than something complex and fun.

5) Information overload!
Whitespace is just as important on your website as it is on paper. It is more than just the CSS property, it is actually part of your layout. You need to make sure that there is white space on show because it will affect your reader’s response to your site. If they click on a site and it seems overloaded with information, they are likely to go back to the search engine they came from and click another site that looks simpler.

6) Images can be part of your layout too!
People forget that graphics also constitute to the layout of their site. For example, you can wrap text around your image to make it more interesting and so that the reader is clear that the image corresponds with the text they are reading, or just to break up the text a little.
Just make sure, as I have mentioned many times before, you don’t use too many, big images or your page will take forever to download and you may well lose your visitor.