HTML, XHTML & CSS

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Part I: Getting to Know (X)HTML and CSS
If you build your site one piece at a time . . .
If you plan to build your Web site a page or
section at a time, you can create a map of the
final site and then decide which pages make
the most sense to build first. When you have a
good working idea of how your site will grow,
you can plan for further expansion during each
stage. For example, suppose you create a site
map for your company’s Web site and the site
needs an FAQ section. If the FAQ section isn’t
quite finished when the site launches, disaster
need not ensue — provided someone planned
ahead to accommodate new sections and built
that capability into the site. Just leave out links
Don’t create under construction sections that don’t include anything except a
hint that something might appear someday. Users are disappointed if your
site hints at information it doesn’t really offer. Instead, consider using a small
section of your home page to highlight “coming soon” items so visitors know
new information will be available later, but don’t integrate anything that’s
inaccessible into your navigation bar or buttons.
Use a map as a visual user guide
Give visitors as many options as you (realistically) can to help them navigate
around your site because people use many approaches to find stuff:
✓ Some people like to be led.
✓ Some people like to rummage around.
to (and mentions of) the FAQ section when you
launch the site.
When the FAQ section is ready:
✓ Add the section to the site
✓ Add a link to the main navigation elements
If you know resources are coming, you can
create a navigation scheme that accommodates
the FAQ section when it’s ready to go.
Without a site map and a complete plan for the
site, however, integrating new sections can
require lots of time and effort.
✓ Some people like to see every possible option and choose one.
Site maps grow as your site grows. If your site is large and complex, your map
may take several screens to display. When you surf the Web, massive sites,
such as www.microsoft.com, www.hp.com, and www.amazon.com, don’t
offer site maps because maps of their sites would be huge and unwieldy. But
smaller Web sites (such as www.symantec.com) use site maps effectively.
You need to decide whether a site map is a good navigation tool for your site.
Here are some points to ponder as you make this decision: