-- Just the updates.
The Alertbox: Current Issues in Web Usability (An On-line Journal) is one of the best on-line sources for general tips and commentary on Web Page design. Anyone interested in the issues should follow the monthly columns at this site.
Most search engines that potential clients will use on the Internet claim to have some type of intelligent indexing. One of the ways that internet sites are sorted and indexed is by <Meta> tags. A <Meta> tag contains information that summarizes your site and is written by you. While it does not display when someone logs on your site, when your site is indexed, many search engines will use the information inside the hidden tags to determine how closely your site fits the needs of someone who is looking for an attorney.
To improve your chances of search engines finding your site and directing potential clients to it, your site should contain either <Meta> tags or the same information either at the top of your Home Page or on a separate page that links to your home page. The search engines that look for <Meta> tags will use the initial text in a site if no <Meta> tag is found. Because search engines index every page in your site, you can place the information at the top of a page other than your home page to attract search engines and it will be useful as long as the information links to your Home Page.
Generally what you want is a short description of your firm and services -- much like that used by Jane Doe. The beginning of her home page provides her name and address (for those who are using a search engine to look for attorneys in her geographic area or who are looking for her by name) and then describes her services in a very short paragraph that is followed by content links that include the important key words for her practice (divorce, accused, arrested, etc.). A search on those topics will find her -- either directly from the Home Page or from the content links.
Her <Meta> tag information would be the same -- without the words "the" "and" "is" and such. Note that she uses Jane Doe, Attorney at Law and then says, "Jane Doe is a lawyer" -- so that either term will find her.
Finally, she relies on content so that edited lists (lists that use editors to exclude empty "advertisement only" sites) will find her worthy of inclusion. There may be five criminal defense attorneys in her town that use the web, but only one (Jane Doe) that provides useful information and thus only one that will make it through to the index of an edited list.
For comparison, look at Tom Allensworth's "Professional Services Offered" sub-page on his web site (1/15/1997 revision). Rather than list the index information on his Home Page, Tom has included the information on a sub-page that connects to his home page, thus preserving a clean and professional look, while still providing all of the information a search engine or a potential client would need.
Byte Magazine in connection with NSTL, Inc. conducted studies and tests on Windows95 HTML editors. The studies have significant weaknesses (e.g. they missed the AOLPress 1.2 template libraries). With that caveat, the three highest rated software packages for ease of learning and ease of use were Microsoft FrontPage97, AOLpress 1.2, and Attachmate Emissary Desktop 2.0. The tests failed to evaluate the products offered by Corel and Adobe and did not rate Fusion by NetObjects (although the product was discussed as "a gem among authoring tools").
For a large, major project, it still appears that Fusion retains the market lead (and is probably overkill for most law offices). The 1997 versions of basic web page editors by Microsoft, Corel and Adobe all appear to be up to full function (as predicted in my original paper). Three months down the road will allow enough market testing to validate appearances.
For serious, hardcore "hands on" HTML programming, check out HTML Assistant Pro 97. It will either help you appreciate products like FrontPage97 and AOLpress or be the sort of thing you are looking for. For Mac software, see What About Macs?. For PC Software, see Do it Yourself Tools, Part II.
This is a collection of freeware, shareware and beta version HTML
editors available for downloading -- for evaluation and use. Since
much of what makes a good HTML editor is personal taste, this is a good place
to get a look at what the tools actually look like. (Click on the title
to go to the download site.) (This site is currently not reliable).
One more place to go look at all the gimmicks, counters, banners, etc. you can add to a web page. I do not recomment most gimmicks for a professional's site.
The sample sites often contain a mixture of good and bad. I will be expanding this area and will list the sites, without comment. Expect this section to grow.
The "average" ISP has annual revenues of $637,572, thirteen paid employees, and provides approximately 199 dial-up lines for the use of 1,844 users (a ratio of about one to nine). As of the beginning of 1997 there were about 3,068 ISPs. For up to the minute information, http://www.boardwatch.com. For some interesting perspective look at InterNex or Genuity and @Home. Also look at the updated [ISP/Hosting Services Side Box.]
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