Floris
19th August 2004, 02:44 PM
Launching your web site - Checklist
You have just finished designing your website. It's ready to go live. Are you sure? Run through this checklist before you launch
Author: ranjan
Web site: http://www.ranjan.ws/ (http://www.ranjan.ws/)
HTML
Use W3C validator (http://validator.w3.org/) to check for errors. (Recommended)
Use HTML Tidy (http://www.w3.org/People/Raggett/tidy/) if you are not using a DOCTYPE
HTML Tidy extensions/plugins are available for:
Frontpage (http://www.suodenjoki.dk/produktioner/artikler/tidy_integration_article.asp)
Dreamweaver (http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm?view=sn120#loc=en_us&view=sn121&viewName=Dreamweaver%20Extension&extID=451062&lc_id=72908)
CSS
CSS can be validated with the W3C CSS validator. (http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/validator-uri.html)
Accessibility
Checking accessibility is not only important for disabled users, but also relevant for people who use a text-only browser, or disable images, because of a slow connection. Check (http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp) at least for Section 508 Compliance.
Screen Resolution
Screen Resolutions vary from 200 pixels on a web-enabled phone to 1600+ pixels on a desktop. Check as much as your machine allows you to.
Cross Browser
Try viewing your web site in different browsers and different platforms.
At the very least, check your site in:
A Gecko-based browser - Netscape 6/7, Mozilla or Phoenix
Internet Explorer for Windows
Opera
Broken Links
Check for broken links. Most HTML Editors have this feature built in. If your editor doesn't provide this feature, use Xenulink (http://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html).
Font Sizing
Your visitors might use large screen fonts because they use high screen resolution or they may have declining eyesight. Check that the text scales appropriately (Specify the text size in ems or %).
Download Speed
Access the site via a modem. If the opening page of your site takes more than half a minute to appear, then you are losing visitors. Check your file size v/s download time here (http://www.total-impact.com/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=5).
Image Sizing
Specify HEIGHT and WIDTH attributes on your images. This enables the browser to create the layout before rendering images. Thus, your pages will appear to load faster.
Text browser
Using a text-only browser to check the site, you can evaluate:
How a screen reader will read your site.
Ill-chosen or missing ALT texts.
How a search engine will see it.
Printing
Print some of the pages on an average printer and check that content appears legible. Try to use CSS (http://www.evolt.org/article/Kissing_Print_Versions_of_Pages_Goodbye/20/22225/) to adjust the appearance of the page when printed.
Javascript
Due to misuse of Javascript for unwanted pop-ups and irritating animations, a lot of visitors switch Javascript off. Many organisations even block Javascript completely from their corporate browsers.
If you create a menu using Javascript and it is DISABLED on the client-end, your web site may render as unusable. Test your navigation and basic content usability with Javascript turned off.
Plug-ins
The considerations for plug-ins (such as Flash or Java) are very similar to those for Javascript above. Check the site with any plug-ins disabled. The basic text and navigation should still work.
Images
Many visitors switch images off, for quick loading. Plus, some organizations may block images altogether to save on bandwidth costs. Check your site with images DISABLED - evaluate the site to make sure content is legible and that users are still able to navigate througout the site.
© Copyright 2004 - ranjan & http://www.vBulletin.nl/ (http://www.vbulletin.nl/)
Original Article: http://www.gthelp.com/showthread.php?t=27323 (http://www.gthelp.com/showthread.php?t=27323)
vBulletin Article: http://www.vBulletin-Fans.com/showthread.php?t=6166 (http://www.vBulletin-Fans.com/showthread.php?t=6166)
You can discuss this article here (http://www.vBulletin-Fans.com/showthread.php?t=6165).
Floris & Staff
You have just finished designing your website. It's ready to go live. Are you sure? Run through this checklist before you launch
Author: ranjan
Web site: http://www.ranjan.ws/ (http://www.ranjan.ws/)
HTML
Use W3C validator (http://validator.w3.org/) to check for errors. (Recommended)
Use HTML Tidy (http://www.w3.org/People/Raggett/tidy/) if you are not using a DOCTYPE
HTML Tidy extensions/plugins are available for:
Frontpage (http://www.suodenjoki.dk/produktioner/artikler/tidy_integration_article.asp)
Dreamweaver (http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm?view=sn120#loc=en_us&view=sn121&viewName=Dreamweaver%20Extension&extID=451062&lc_id=72908)
CSS
CSS can be validated with the W3C CSS validator. (http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/validator-uri.html)
Accessibility
Checking accessibility is not only important for disabled users, but also relevant for people who use a text-only browser, or disable images, because of a slow connection. Check (http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp) at least for Section 508 Compliance.
Screen Resolution
Screen Resolutions vary from 200 pixels on a web-enabled phone to 1600+ pixels on a desktop. Check as much as your machine allows you to.
Cross Browser
Try viewing your web site in different browsers and different platforms.
At the very least, check your site in:
A Gecko-based browser - Netscape 6/7, Mozilla or Phoenix
Internet Explorer for Windows
Opera
Broken Links
Check for broken links. Most HTML Editors have this feature built in. If your editor doesn't provide this feature, use Xenulink (http://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html).
Font Sizing
Your visitors might use large screen fonts because they use high screen resolution or they may have declining eyesight. Check that the text scales appropriately (Specify the text size in ems or %).
Download Speed
Access the site via a modem. If the opening page of your site takes more than half a minute to appear, then you are losing visitors. Check your file size v/s download time here (http://www.total-impact.com/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=5).
Image Sizing
Specify HEIGHT and WIDTH attributes on your images. This enables the browser to create the layout before rendering images. Thus, your pages will appear to load faster.
Text browser
Using a text-only browser to check the site, you can evaluate:
How a screen reader will read your site.
Ill-chosen or missing ALT texts.
How a search engine will see it.
Printing
Print some of the pages on an average printer and check that content appears legible. Try to use CSS (http://www.evolt.org/article/Kissing_Print_Versions_of_Pages_Goodbye/20/22225/) to adjust the appearance of the page when printed.
Javascript
Due to misuse of Javascript for unwanted pop-ups and irritating animations, a lot of visitors switch Javascript off. Many organisations even block Javascript completely from their corporate browsers.
If you create a menu using Javascript and it is DISABLED on the client-end, your web site may render as unusable. Test your navigation and basic content usability with Javascript turned off.
Plug-ins
The considerations for plug-ins (such as Flash or Java) are very similar to those for Javascript above. Check the site with any plug-ins disabled. The basic text and navigation should still work.
Images
Many visitors switch images off, for quick loading. Plus, some organizations may block images altogether to save on bandwidth costs. Check your site with images DISABLED - evaluate the site to make sure content is legible and that users are still able to navigate througout the site.
© Copyright 2004 - ranjan & http://www.vBulletin.nl/ (http://www.vbulletin.nl/)
Original Article: http://www.gthelp.com/showthread.php?t=27323 (http://www.gthelp.com/showthread.php?t=27323)
vBulletin Article: http://www.vBulletin-Fans.com/showthread.php?t=6166 (http://www.vBulletin-Fans.com/showthread.php?t=6166)
You can discuss this article here (http://www.vBulletin-Fans.com/showthread.php?t=6165).
Floris & Staff