The World Wide Web is widely regarded as the next mass medium, destined to become as
pervasive and influential as television or newsprint. Those who want to keep up with
communication technology and are about to dip their pioneering toe into this uncharted
water, need to understand the unique aspects of this medium and what makes some Web
pages much more effective than others.

So, how are web pages different from other mass-media communication?

First of all, if you haven’t yet “surfed the ‘net”, find someone who is setup for this and
spend some time with an experienced guide. Get a feel for what web pages look like,
what they are used for, how people find what they are looking for and what they do
when they get there.

The major difference is that the readers (browsers, surfers) choose what pages they will
go to and how long they will stay on that page. In contrast, newspapers, magazines, TV,
radio, billboards, … all predetermine what messages will be presented to everyone and in
what order. You can choose a different TV channel or section of the paper, but not an ad
for a specific product.

This difference heavily influences what features of web pages make them effective. A
common mistake is to take an existing, effective brochure and just display it as a web
page. Would that make sense on television? Radio? Billboards? Of course not. The
message must be adapted to the medium.

Assuming that a web-surfer chooses to look at your page (we’ll cover this issue in a
future column), you can assume that he/she has a short attention span. Your page has to
offer instant gratification in the form of valued information or entertainment, or you
will lose your reader in the click of a mouse.

The opening image (“Home Page”) must be exciting, interesting and promising – to the
viewers you want to attract. The following features can be incorporated into your page
to grab and hold your reader:

• photos/graphics – definitely in color
• motion, animation, changing colors
• sound, music (assumes that browser has sound board and speakers)
• relevance – obviously valuable/interesting information relating to your product/service
• related pointers – to other web pages offering complementary information
• something new – change the content regularly
• interaction –an easy means for the browser to communicate (comments, requests, questions, orders) to you.
• novelty--your pages have to stand out in a very dense crowd.
• a reason to return (weekly specials?)

A few “don’ts” are also in order: Large paragraphs of single-spaced text tend to turn off a
viewer. Save these for later pages, after he/she is already hooked and wants a quantity of
information. Likewise, limit your page size to 2-3 screens, maximum. Surfers generally
don’t like to scroll through information – they would rather choose what to see by
clicking on “hot links”. Finally, although pictures are important, avoid large (1/2 screen or
more) pictures – they take so long to display that many viewers will lose patience and
abandon your page for greener (faster) pages elsewhere.

There are many software packages available which promise easy, do-it-yourself web
pages, but these won’t get you much beyond simple, uninspired and ineffective pages. If
you want your web site to make an appropriate impact, you are well-advised to secure
the services of a professional, familiar with this area of runaway technology and having
access to and skill with the corresponding high-power tools.

Future topics include how to get people to select your page(s) for viewing and how to
find pages of value to you (no small task). Also -- something to contemplate – would
you be interested in unlimited, free, long-distance calls to anywhere in the world? Stay tuned!

(photo credit: Greg Wenger)
Information (310) 821-1519, fax: (310) 821-9079
E-mail: jim@the-calculating-lady.com
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