The Funders Online Guidelines provide an overview of some of the major issues you should consider and pay attention to when developing your website. These are: content, site architecture & navigation, graphics & overall layout, and, last but not least, interactivity.

Deciding on Content
Before deciding on content, you should answer the following questions:
Who is your audience?
What are the information needs of your audience?
What would be the added value of the website?

Answering these questions will help you determine your overall web strategy and will give indications as to the type(s) of content you should develop.

Content can be pure information, services or a combination of the two. To begin with, you can simply publish existing materials, written for print, to your website. However, in the long run, you should focus on developing or editing content specifically for the web. It is original, clear, targeted and up-to-date content that will make your site a success and your work more effective.

When developing your content, keep in mind that people don't read the same way on the web as they do books - rather, they scan the text, picking out individual words or expressions. Avoid jargon or highly specialised language, unless you are targeting a professional audience.

Last but not least, to keep the attention of your audience, add new content (information and/or services) on a regular basis - and let them know about it!

Site Architecture & Navigation
A simple and logical architecture is absolutely essential for the effectiveness of your site - information should be easy to find and access, ideally just two or three clicks away. If your site is bigger than just a few pages, you should create several main sections and group the relevant information under each of them thus keeping the structure fairly transparent.

An up-to-date site map or site index can be very helpful, particularly when your site grows in size and complexity, as it will enable your visitors to find out at a glance where to get the information they need.

Keep the navigation simple and consistent throughout the whole site, making browsing as intuitive as possible. Don't forget that your visitors want to know at every moment where they are and how to get back. Include a link to the home page on every page, particularly when users have to chose from different paths on the home page.

Plan for the future: a good structure will enable you easily to add new content and features without having to redesign the whole site.

Graphic Design & Layout
While graphics are not absolutely essential for the success of your website, when used appropriately they can enhance its look and feel and improve the navigation. You should, however, keep in mind that the web has unique requirements concerning graphics. If you don't understand how to design graphics for the web, look for assistance but beware that most designers working for traditional media are not familiar with the specifics of the web either. A few practical tips on:

Graphics

• Keep the image files as small as possible. Large image files significantly increase the downloading time. As a result, users will probably just click through or simply switch off the graphics.
• Use browser-safe colours (there are 216 so-called "safe" colours). This is not a "must" but will ensure that the image quality is preserved independently of the monitor or graphics card type.
• A GIF or JPEG file? The GIF format is best for graphics, while JPEG is best for photographs - the difference lies in the way colours get compressed.
• Avoid (too many) animated GIF images - they are highly demanding on bandwidth, can be very disturbing and distracting, while adding little or no value to your site.
• Provide a title or description for the graphics on your page (Use the ALT parameter of the image (the code through which images are inserted on a web page). The ALT parameter describes the image. This is particularly important for visitors with visual disabilities as it enables them to understand the purpose of the images.

Layout:

• Highlight words or ideas by using different typeface (bold, italic, different font colour); do not underline text - underlining is often associated with a hyperlink and may be misleading for the user
• Keep your paragraphs short and narrow
• Break down long texts into logical sections and add clear sub-headings wherever possible
• Use bulleted lists

Interactivity
One of the most important features of the web is its potential for interaction. It is up to you to make the most of it. At its simplest, you should offer an e-mail address where visitors can reach you with questions or comments. Other possibilities include:

• guest book
• mailing lists
• feedback form
• online order form(s)
• user surveys
• auto-responders or any other customised reply packages depending on the type of audience
• chat