Top 10 Guidelines
If you learn nothing else from this toolkit, read and follow these 10 11 12 important guidelines:
- File names -- Unix is case sensitive, and you can't use certain characters in the name such as a "space" or an asterisk. Name your files in all lower-case.
- Use white space aesthetically. If your text is too dense, people won't read it. Bullet or number succinct bits of information.
- Always include meaningful language (40-50 characters) in your title and meta tags. It will improve search placement.
- Use style sheets for text formatting.
- Use the Clean Up HTML utility in Dreamweaver found under the Commands menu.
- Test your pages by viewing them on multiple browsers and platforms.
- Make sure your html meets code standards. You must include a doctype tag at the top of every page:
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
- Test accessibility with the Accessibility Checker at http://webxact.watchfire.com.
- Check for dead links with Dreamweaver's link checker or other such utility.
- Print your pages. Many of your users will print your pages for later reference. If it doesn't look right on paper, you're not done designing yet.
- Perform monthly site maintenance tasks.
- When you are finished editing and ready to upload your pages, submit them to your site coordinator for final approval FIRST.
