Everyone knows the Internet is a great source of information. A good Informational Web site can provide quality, factual information. Web Wise Concepts would like to help you understand how you can determine the quality of a Web site.
Web site Designs
There are only three primary reasons for a Web site: Advocacy, E-commerce and Information. Advocacy Web sites are used to promote an opinion and E-commerce Web sites are used to promote sales. An Informational Web site is slightly different. Whether about a business, an organization, or a specific topic, the purpose of an informational Web site is to provide factual information. The quality of that information can be evaluated based on four simple criteria.
Evaluating a Web site
There are four basic criteria that can be used when evaluating the quality of an Informational Web site.
Accessibility
The accessibility of an Informational Web site can be determined by
- Load time — The visitor should be able to see meaningful text within 30 seconds.
- Links — All links should work properly
- Alternative text for images — The visitor can read pertinent information about an image prior to the image loading. (Place your mouse pointer over an image to view alternative text.)
Accuracy
Informational Web sites should offer factual information. Accuracy of these facts can sometimes be difficult to determine. However, there are a few things to consider
- Ownership — Contact information should always be provided
- Responsibility — A Web site should state who is responsible for page content
- Qualifications — A Web site should state the author's qualifications on the topic
- Copyright — A Web site should state the copyright holder's name
- Update — Some information is time sensitive. A Web site should state when the page was last modified
Appeal
Every Informational Web site should be appealing to its visitors. Although appeal can be very subjective, there are a few things that can be considered objectively. The design and layout of a Web site should make good use of color and contain a visual balance of text and graphics. Colors, fonts, and layout should be consistent and provide good readability. It should be easy to navigate with logical menu options.
Appropriateness
The information on an Informational Web site should be appropriate for the topic and free of obtrusive advertising.
About Us
Information on this site is provided as a public service of Web Wise Concepts, Sarasota FLorida. Web Wise Concepts offers custom informational web site designs that are attractive, effective, and based on your specific goals. Visit our Web site to learn more about our Web design services.
For More Information ...
- Web Style Guide by Patrick J. Lynch and Sarah Horton, 1999. Yale University.
- Widener University, Wolfgram Memorial Library: Evaluate Web Pages
- SREB EvaluTech: Evaluation Review Criteria
- Cornell University, Olin and Uris Libraries: Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools