Good practice advice

Below is some good practice guidance that is worth considering when developing a new website or updating an existing site.

Web address
In order to promote consistency across the Aimhigher network, your web address should follow the same format if possible e.g. www.aimhigher.ac.uk/mkob. You should also provide a link to Directgov, which gives the most up-to-date national advice and guidance for the target cohort.

Navigation
The most successful websites are those that give their users what they want as quickly and easily as possible. When a visitor enters your site, it should be clear straight away:
• Who the site belongs to
• What purpose the site serves
• How to contact the people behind the site

There are a number of different ways to organise your site, depending on the content. For example, you might decide to divide the content by target audiences, or by particular types of activity. However you decide to organise your site, try to make sure that the structure is as logical as possible and include a site map and search facility for visitors who can't find what they are looking for.

Remember that visitors may not always enter your site via the home page so it is a good idea to include clear links back to important information such as the ‘About us’ section, site map and contact details on every page. A useful guideline that many web designers use is that you should be able to get from any page on your site to any other page in no more than three clicks.

Page design
Your home page needs to give a good first impression and the visitor should immediately know where they are and what information they will find there. There should be continuity between different pages and sections of the site and the Aimhigher logo should be clearly visible.

Colours should be subtle and co-ordinated. For visitors, the contrast between text and background is more important than the colour palette used. The screen doesn't always need to be filled with colour or content. White space on a screen can make it easier to see the important parts of the site. Certain fonts are easier to read online than others – these include Verdana, Georgia, Times New Roman and Trebuchet. Verdana is the standard Aimhigher font.

No two browsers will show a page in quite the same way so try to avoid making pages more than 800 pixels wide. Anything larger than this will mean many users have to scroll from left to right and back again as they read down the page. Use graphics sparingly and avoid gimmicky design like Flash animations. As a rule of thumb, do not create pages that take more than 30 to 60 seconds to load using a 28.8K modem.

Accessibility
Any website that is funded in part or in full by public money should be made accessible. Designing an accessible site means designing a site that allows as many users as possible to benefit from its content.

Developed by the British Standards Institution (BSI) and sponsored by the Disability Rights Commission, PAS 78 provides best practice advice and guidance for website developers on accessibility. For further information and to purchase this document, visit the BSI website. It's worth noting that the BSI is currently working on an updated version of this guidance, which is due to be published in early 2009.

Content
Reading from a monitor isn't very comfortable and most people want to make it as short an experience as possible. One of the key factors in making your site a success will be your ability to create well-written content that keeps your user engaged. Here are some tips for writing website copy:
• Bulleted lists can be a useful way of summarising content and creating white space on the screen
• Sentences and paragraphs need to be short and simple
• Use bold and italics sparingly
• Don’t use underline as this will be confused with a hyperlink
• The first time you use an abbreviation on each page, write the name out in full,    followed by the abbreviation in brackets
• Always use spell check and proofread copy before it is published

Maintaining the site
A good website will develop over time and should never contain information that is out of date. Things to think about include:
• How often will the site need updating?
• What new content is needed and who will provide it?
• What extra functionality do you want to add, and by when?
• When should you refresh the 'look and feel' of the site?