Thursday, March 4, 2004
This is the big website “Don’t!” list for aspiring web developers:
- Don’t open pop-ups
- Don’t open pop-unders
- Don’t describe what you intent to do
- Don’t tell anyone why you are not updating
- Don’t show the month and day but not the year
- Don’t use browser-specific technology
- Don’t use exotic plug-ins
- Don’t use Java for effects
- Don’t put the Flash ads on top of the content
- Don’t link to PDFs without telling
- Don’t put PDFs on your website without good reason
- Don’t remove underlines from links for main body text
- Don’t decrease the font-size for main body text
- Don’t design like it’s ’99
- Don’t use JavaScript for anything crucial
- Don’t use JavaScript for anything fancy
- Don’t beat around the bush
- Don’t hide what you have to offer
- Don’t waste visitor time
- Don’t put up self-referential links pointing to the page they are on
- Don’t spoil the search engines
- Don’t keep guestbooks unattended
- Don’t ignore your emails
- Don’t hide your contact details
- Don’t blame the browser
- Don’t ask visitors to update their browser
- Don’t write silly alt-text just to have alt-text
- Don’t use bloated table-layout
- Don’t use table-layout
- Don’t optimize titles for search engines
- Don’t optimize anything for search engines alone
- Don’t forget to mention your sources
- Don’t give readers your link list and nothing else
- Don’t use graphics of text, logo excluded
- Don’t be a portal
- Don’t mention your cat, dog, or other house pet
- Don’t be hosted on Geocities, Tripod or Angelfire
- Don’t target just Internet Explorer
- Don’t offer downloads without description of target systems
- Don’t show animated ads
- Don’t start the HTML with a long navigation
- Don’t forget hand-phone visitors browsing your site
- Don’t forget people printing your page
- Don’t forget people trying to open your links in a new window
- Don’t forget people arriving with a text-only browser
- Don’t assume where the reader came from
- Don’t use “Click here” as link text
- Don’t open new windows
- Don’t offer Adobe, Flash, or Internet Explorer for download
- Don’t do the wrong thing
So do the right thing. You probably already are. If there’s enough of us, we will prove them wrong. 90% of the Web might become good actually.
Your client’s sites specifically excluded. Here, do whatever makes them happy. I guess.
I read that GoogleGuy was asked about breaking up AdSense statistics by different domains. Here’s my personal feature wishlist, and if you also use AdSense maybe we share some of those wishes (if you think of something else, let me know):
Stats breakdowns by domain.
For every click, the URL of the page on which the ad was shown.
For every click, the referrer (the page that linked to the AdSense containing page, to e.g. spot Google search terms).
The ability to change the ads font-family and size (you can already change colors, but not the font).
Ability to include the files directly via scripting (a Web Service similar to the Google Web API) – this would get rid of the current JavaScript/ inline-frame.
A public list of the top 100 sites with best click-through rates to show off how they do it – of course, you would have to check a box to participate in being shown here.
And of course... even more relevant links, faster updates on new pages, possibly the ability to show images, and of course, ability to have higher earnings.
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