Simple Website Editing Do's & Don'ts of Website Editing

This page's purpose is to make you aware of some of the basic website design guidelines. We hope it helps.

Dos and don'ts for achieving usability in design

• Do:
  • Use black text on white background whenever possible for optimal legibility.
  • Use either plain-color backgrounds or extremely subtle background patterns.
  • Make sure text is in a printable color (not white).
  • Place navigation in a consistent location on each page of your website.
  • Use a familiar location for navigation bars.
  • Keep the design from scrolling horizontally.
  • Use one axis of symmetry for centered text on a page.
  • Encourage scrolling by splitting an image at the fold.
  • Stay with the font your website is designed with.
    • Don't use unusual or fancy fonts, if a computer does not have the font you choose it could look strange on your website;
    • standard fonts are - Verdana, Arial, Times New Roman, Arial Rounded, Courier New
    • Keep the same font size, not smaller not larger, only if you are trying to make a point.
• Don't:
  • Display static text in blue or underlined.
  • Use boldface or ALL CAPS for long pieces of text. These slow down reading.
  • Leave too much white space--reduces scannability.
  • Make the user scroll to find critical information, especially transaction buttons and navigation links.
  • Use horizontal rules to separate chunks of content.
  • Alternate too frequently between centered text and left-aligned text. Most text should be left-aligned.
  • Use different fonts
    • Don't use unusual or fancy fonts, if a computer does not have the font you chose it could look strange on your website;
    • standard fonts are - Verdana, Arial, Times New Roman, Arial Rounded, Courier New
    • Keep the same font size, not smaller not larger, only if you are trying to make a point.