There are a few essential checks that you must make before
uploading your pages.
Check the basics - spelling, grammar, terminology. I've seen
a lot of arguments for and against using only US spelling on
web sites - I think this is a personal choice, but having
made your decision, be consistent! Terminology - don't use
words or phrases that aren't common around the world. I read
a software review recently - sadly, I didn't understand the
phrase used to describe the program, so I don't know if the
reviewer was recommending it or condemning it!
Check your coding. It's easy for little mistakes to creep
into your HTML - especially when your tags are nested, or
when you copy and paste from another page of your site.
There are several free programs available - I use CSE Lite
from http://www.htmlvalidator.com which also has a paid
professional version.
Check your links. Again, it's easy to make a slight mistake
in typing a URL, or getting confused between relative and
absolute references, leading to the well-known 404 page
not found message! Use a link check program to find all
these little errors before you launch your page on the
world. I use Xenu's Link Check which I downloaded from
http://www.completelyfreesoftware.com/ - you'll find many
other freeware link checkers.
Check your files. It's easy to upload a new HTML page, and
forget to upload any additional graphics, leaving the
visitor with a blank square. I find this especially easy
when I'm just using an icon such as New! or Free -
so I keep these in a directory on my site called
CommonImages - that way, I know where they are, and
don't need to upload them for every page I add.
Check in more than one browser. You probably have a
favourite browser for surfing the web - but we're all
different, and all round the world people will be dismissing
your choice as terrible! So check on your hit counter
stats - which browsers are your visitors using? If you don't
have room on your hard drive for more than one browser, use
one of the webmaster forums to ask for a check from
different browser users. http://webmaster-forums.com ,
http://siteownersforums.com , and http://sitepointforums.com
all have a forum for this. You're expected to review other
members sites in return.
Use these five checks every time you update your site, and
you'll have less chance of losing your visitors through
simple mistakes.
About the Author
Dianne Reuby is author of the ebooks "Creating a Web Site
with Free Software" and "Searching the Web". Dianne created
and runs the Free Site Builder web site and ezine, dedicated
to helping newbies create web sites with free tools and
resources. Visit FSB at http://freesitebuilder.co.uk/ or
email her at mailto:admin@freesitebuilder.co.uk