| Avoid the problems of large sitesWebsite’s often start small and then grow as content is added and this is where problems can begin. If the content is not monitored there is a potential for sites to become unmanageable which could in turn affect usability. The best way to deal with this is to plan ahead:
- Design Well
If you design websites with growth in mind you can avoid problems later down the track. By including consistent layout and navigation you allow pages to be added without disrupting the usability of the site. Adding dynamic pages such as site maps that update automatically allows users to find the content they need easily. And, good search engines can further assist this by returning accurate results.
- Choose a good web host provider
When choosing a web host provider, carefully look at the bandwidth and speed of access, as this will be impacted when the site grows. The bandwidth allotted determines the amount of traffic allowed and in some cases if this is exceeded, sites can be disabled. If your site is increasing in popularity make sure you monitor this and upgrade when necessary.
In the same context, uptime is extremely important as the last thing you want is people leaving due to slow connectivity or the site being down. It is best to monitor your site during peak times to see how it performs and to find out what policies your web host provider has in place to avoid down time.
- Stick to what’s relevant
Avoid the trap of publishing content that is not relevant to the purpose of the site. Generally, websites have a goal, such as selling a product or communicating a message; and you don’t want to distract users away from this with unnecessary content. Google is a great example of a company that manages this well as they have a large number of products on offer but they stick with simple designs to illustrate what they specialize in.
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