Checklist of
Web Page Characteristics to Avoid

Each of the items listed here provides a link to the complete discussion of that topic in Appendix VI.

1. Avoid using Java or Javascript.

2. Avoid using HTML frames.

3. Exercise Care using Cascading Style Sheets.

4. Exercise Care using HTML Tables.

5. Avoid providing free advertising to commercial enterprises.

6. Avoid using gratuitous animated images.

7. Avoid aligning images to the left or right, to cause text to flow around the image.

8. Avoid using short, wide graphics to separate sections of the page.

9. Avoid making page design choices based on the on-screen presentation of one browser. (The discussion topics include Text vs. Graphical, Macintosh vs. Windows, Screen Size, and Color Availability.)

10. Be cautious setting the font, changing its size or color, or making it boldface. (The discussion topics include Background Issues, Other Color Issues, and Emphasis Issues.)

11. Avoid using too many graphic images on a page.

12. Avoid using graphic images or HTML files that are too big.

13. Avoid using challenging sound or video clips.

14. Avoid using so many links that you disrupt the flow of your Web page.

15. Avoid using trite images or phrases, especially "under construction".

16. Avoid using internal labels containing space characters as destinations for links.

17. Avoid using graphic images that contain only text.

18. Avoid using commercial hit counters or guestbooks.

19. Avoid using personal accounts to serve organizational Web pages.

20. Avoid placing adjacent to a link any blue bullets or other small graphics that are not clickable parts of that link.

21. Avoid saying "Click here to ...", because it is trite.

22. Avoid using two consecutive links that lead to the same destination.

23. Avoid having consecutive images with no separators to force the next image onto the following line.

24. Avoid using graphics that include extensive areas in which the color changes gradually.

25. Avoid using multiple, different URLs to link to the same page, or using multiple different URLs to specify the same image file.