Greenspun's model of a useful Web site is as follows:

• it's simple
• it's content-based
• it's collaborative

Simple. Greenspun thinks that a site should load fast and that you should find your way around it quickly. He offers these suggestions:

1. Add width and height tags to images. If you tell the browser up front how big images will be, then surrounding text becomes available before the images finish loading.
2. Don't use a hit counter. If you get few visitors, why advertise the fact? If you get many, the constant creation of new graphics to update the counter will use up valuable server resources. If you are using the hit counter for your own site logging, you are not only inconveniencing your visitors, you are getting the wrong information for yourself as well. Check with your service provider to find out what appropriate site log analysis tools are available.
3. Periodically check for dead links. Nowadays there's shareware available for that. There's no excuse for maintaining dead links.
4. Don't force the visitor to download software (e.g. Shockwave, RealPlayer) to "experience" your site -- instead, put all that stuff on separate pages and warn visitors not to click unless that's what they want.
5. Be aware of invalid HTML. New site developers may miss proprietary or otherwise invalid tags added by the so-called "WYSIWYG editors" (e.g. FrontPage); they may also make such mistakes as trying to embed a table inside a link anchor. If you are new to HTML and are learning it by reviewing other people's pages (as most of us do), make sure their tricks work before you imitate them.

Content-based. Greenspun thinks that in most cases, what will initially grab, and most likely hold, the attention of site visitors is "magnet content" -- the sort of writing that encourages others to respond.

1. Remember if you must use colors other than black for text that some visitors may want to print.
2. Have an understandable user interface. If you must use graphical icons for navigation, at least have them be very small and very quick to load. (Text links are even better -- but even text links must be understood.)
3. Limit the number of options in a navigation menu.
4. Don't distract the reader with <BLINK> or <MARQUEE> tags. Limit the use of animated GIFs -- only use those if they actually support the content. Go easy on Java, especially the Dreaded Lake Applet. :-)
5. If you've ever written anything relevant to your site's content, get it up there to be seen.

Collaborative. Greenspun believes in the necessity of collaboration so strongly that he offers a number of free collaboration tools. At the very least you should consider using a message board.

1. Index your site. On as many search engines as you can, and on at least one directory: Yahoo. Use a META keywords tag as well. Ensure that really interested people can find you. Remember that there are specialty directories and index services for your type of business or industry as well.
2. Allow for your site to be searched. There's now shareware for that as well. Some search engines, such as LookSmart, will search your site for you.
3. Don't let comments that can improve your site, or its content, be lost -- even if you can't act on them soon. Instead, thank those who give you that info when they give it to you, and thank them again when you use it.
4. Request collaboration in other appropriate media: Usenet groups, other sites, print publications.

If you want a database-backed Web site

Greenspun gives the first three items on the following list; I fill in the rest. :-)

1. Data Model
   • what information?
   • how organized?
   • single database or multiple with keys?
2. Transaction Model
   • which ones legal?
   • by whom?
   • any transactions need password-protection or security?
3. User Interface (i.e. HTML forms)
4. Programming Language
   • which ones supported by server?
   • which ones are you comfortable with?
   • how much SQL do you need? (i.e., MySQL, etc.)
5. Test Regimen
   • what data?
   • tests performed by whom?
   • at what steps are tests performed?
   • when do you know it works?
6. User Documentation & Help Files (e.g. "advanced search," etc.)
7. Layout Adjustments
   • JavaScript form validation
   • CSS, DHTML, etc.
8. Release

If you want to make money doing Web design

Professional Web designers often will work under contract. The contracts must have all the details spelled out, as in any contract, to protect your customers as well as yourself. Typical design contracts address the following:

• hosting if a service provider isn't already in place
• domain registration with the InterNIC if needed
• a base package encompassing layout, text editing and composition, links, photos and scans
• account setups for e-mail and FTP if needed
• customer training and troubleshooting
• special programming and plug-ins (e.g. JavaScript/DHTML, Java, CGI, Flash, audio/video)
• databases
• e-commerce
• customer amendments to the base package
• maintenance and updates
• customer access and modifications
• listing on search engines, in directories, and other online marketing
• administrative issues (e.g. payment schedule, progress reports, ownership of completed materials, liability, design credits and copyrights) -- don't ignore any of this. The failure to include fixed dates (for instance) could invalidate a contract.

References

"100 Things You Can Do Right Now," http://photo.net/wtr/100-things.html
Philip & Alex's Guide to Web Publishing http://photo.net/wtr/thebook/
Linklint 2.1 - Fast html link checker -- http://www.goldwarp.com/bowlin/linklint/
Bootstrap action research -- www3 index to test your web site for broken links, download speed, valid html, etc. -- http://freespace.virgin.net/www3.org/
A script that verifies all the internal links in HTML pages on your server -- http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~crow/lvrfy.html
Organizations that check HTML for errors and broken links (whether for free or otherwise) --
netmechanic (which I use)
linkalarm
siteowner
mycomputer
websitegarage
And the free HTML validator:
http://www.htmlhelp.com/tools/validator/ Stupid Web Tricks
Some Web sites with sample design contracts or contract info:
http://glassbottom.com/contract.html
http://www.wilsonweb.com/worksheet/pkg-con.htm
http://www.webreview.com/pub/2000/09/01/feature/index02.html

1. Primary user complaints include
   • HTML errors
   • broken links
   • browser incompatibility (many sites are compatible with the later versions of NN and IE, but...)
   • slow downloading (usually attributed to graphics, but connection to other sites can be a bigger concern...)
   Fortunately, there are a host of sites that help with this, many of them for free. There's no excuse for not dealing with these issues.