The most common formats for web images are GIF and JPEG because they offer good image quality with reasonable file size. Do remember that images take up lots of resources and should be used sparingly. One half of country is still using dial up modems and you must design and edit your website to include them.

A web based utility I've found very useful for testing loading time of my websites is Web Page Analyzer, located here: http://www.websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/

Use it to find correct loading time of your web page. As a rule, most folks will wait 5 to 8 seconds for a page to load; if it's more than that, you risk chance of visitors hitting back button.

Remember that images should be used to enhance message you are presenting to your visitors. They should have a professional, finished look to them. The last thing you want is for images on your website to have such an amateur look that they inspire questions about your general competence. Remember: You never get a second chance to make a first impression!

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by Francisco Aloy

(C)2004 Francisco Aloy ============================================== Agreement reminder, not part of article: Please include my working hyperlink in resource box. Remove paragraph before posting.

The same common sense approach can be used for body areas: use colors that will bring out text and make it easy for your visitors to read your website. Don't use dark fonts on a dark background because they are very hard to read.

Likewise, do your best to copy well established convention by making colors of your HTML links in standard colors such as blue for unvisited, purple for visited and so on.

Overall, don't use more than 3 types of fonts on your website and do your best to include "Big Picture" in your design. Show a few completed sketches to your friends and family and ask their opinion. Revise and re-do as often as needed.

As a time saving measure, make sure to use CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) for your website design because it allows you to change font style of a complete website by just changing information in style sheet. A real time saver when you have a 100 page website.

Above all, your website should have its own theme and style. It should have text that invites visitor to explore more and be easy to read and understand. The visual load on eyes should be as small as possible to prevent fatigue. The general look should be one of integrated design with user friendliness as its ultimate purpose.

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by Francisco Aloy

(C)2004 Francisco Aloy ============================================== Agreement reminder, not part of article: Please include my working hyperlink in resource box. Remove paragraph before posting.