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Top 10 Guidelines

If you learn nothing else from this toolkit, read and follow these 10 11 12 important guidelines:

  1. 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.
     
  2. Use white space aesthetically. If your text is too dense, people won't read it. Bullet or number succinct bits of information.
     
  3. Always include meaningful language (40-50 characters) in your title and meta tags. It will improve search placement.
     
  4. Use style sheets for text formatting.
     
  5. Use the Clean Up HTML utility in Dreamweaver found under the Commands menu.
     
  6. Test your pages by viewing them on multiple browsers and platforms.
     
  7. 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">
     
  8. Test accessibility with the Accessibility Checker at http://webxact.watchfire.com.
     
  9. Check for dead links with Dreamweaver's link checker or other such utility.
     
  10. 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.
     
  11. Perform monthly site maintenance tasks.
     
  12. When you are finished editing and ready to upload your pages, submit them to your site coordinator for final approval FIRST.
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