Web Site Design Tips
These aren't laws, they're just my opinions. Don't forget to follow the links at the bottom. Good Luck!
1. Buy your own domain name.
2. Do not use a free server. Get yourself a real host. It can be as low as $100 per year. If you really, truly can't afford it, go ahead and start with the free host and then move your site to a real server as soon as humanly possible. Later, you may think you are doing well with a free host and there is no reason to move but the truth is; if you are still on "geocities" then you are not doing well.
3. Make your site useful, clean and fast loading. Go through it and take out every unnecessary image. Then go through it again and take out every single image that you thought you needed and now realize that you do not. Then make sure that you use Photoshop and ImageReady to reduce the size and load time of your remaining images. Make them beautiful but small. Less is more.
4. Don't copy, duplicate, or republish. If your site is just republished content from some other source then it is not useful. Delete unoriginal content and delete content that is duplicated within your own site.
5. Do not use a splash page. Especially do not use a flash intro page. Every page on your site should be useful, clean and fast loading.
6. Take out all of the unnecessary flash, javascript, animations, redirects, etc., until there is nothing left but a clean, beautiful, fast loading site that is dense with original, useful content.
7. Don't overuse keywords. You need to write naturally. Use the words that you need to communicate your message clearly, thoughtfully, and intelligently. Nothing more, nothing less.
8. Don't put lists of keywords on your page or try to stuff keywords in alt, image, meta or any other tag. Keyword stuffing is spam. Spam only helps you to look dishonest.
9. Keep your webpages small. If a page starts to get too big divide it up into 2 or more pages.
10. Don't be generic. Be specific. For example, instead of dividing your site into generic sections labeled as Gallery 1, Gallery 2, etc., divide your site into specific sections and use descriptive labels like Animal Art, Nature Photography, and so on.
11. Don't use tiny or invisible text.
12. Don't put a bunch of banners or buttons on your site. Especially don't put banners or buttons to unrelated garbage. If a service requires you to put their button on your page then you don't want that service.
13. Don't link to crap. Do not exchange links with unrelated websites.
14. Exchange links with high quality sites that are related to your site. If it makes your site more useful and informative create one way links to related sites that you admire - even if they are your competitors.
15. Try to get as many links as you can from directories and other resource sites that are related to your site.
16. Don't use automated "link managers" or any other type of automated link submission service or software.
17. Use a spell checker.
18. Use an html validator. Perfect is probably best but sometimes errors are not so much errors as they are "non-standard html" and that's okay. Ask friends, family, and strangers to review and critique your site. Continue to do this until you get no bad reviews.
19. Don't play music on your site.
20. Believe in your site and never give up.
More Help
Webmaster World
Google Information for Webmasters
Matt Cutts: Gadgets, Google, and SEO
