Basic Site Knowledge

Please read this page carefully. We will discuss some important issues you need to know before your Web site will work properly.

A Web site is simply a number of Web pages linked together. The page you are looking at is a Web page. The page you came from before is another Web page. Getting from one page to another is done by linking them together.

Using index.html:

The main page of every web site should be called "index.html". When you go to www.eos.net, the name of the page that displays is index.html. If you name your first page index.html, it's easier for people to type in the name of your site. Suppose your username is "user" and you did in fact name your main page "index.html", for someone to go to your site, all they type is www2.eos.net/user. If you named the first page something else, for instance "main.html" the person then needs to type www2.eos.net/user/main.html. If there is no index.html file and the person types www2.eos.net/user the server will respond with an error saying there is no such place. Naming your first page index.html is helpful and professional.

HTML vs. HTM extensions:

You may have noticed that sometimes a page has the extension ".html" and other times ".htm". It does not matter which you choose to use. The extension "htm" is simply a shortened version of "html". The only time it matters is in the case of index.html. That extension must be html. The extension tells the computer what type of file it is. Since Web pages are created in HTML the extension of every Web page will be either htm or html.

Structuring Your Site:

A mistake common to "first timers" is loading all their files into one large directory. It's extremely helpful to structure your site in a logical, orderly way by dividing your site into directories. For a simple site, try putting your HTML pages in the main directory, then put your images in a separate "images" directory. This accomplishes two things. First, it's easier to keep track of the files in your Web site which is important as you add pages to your site. Second, your site will load quicker, something also very important.

Absolute vs. Relative Links:

As stated before, a Web site is simply a number of pages linked together. There are two ways to link those pages together. The first type is called Absolute.

• Example: http://www.eos.net/eos/personalweb/basic.htm

That is the absolute link to this page, the page you are looking at right now. Absolute links are used to link to pages outside your own Web site. You rarely, if ever, use them within your own Web site. To link the pages within your own page, you use relative links.

Think of it this way; if you wanted to get to the EOS office, you might call and ask for directions. There are two ways to give directions. He might simply give you our street address which is an example of an absolute link. An absolute link, like a street address, is the same no matter what your relative locations is at that time. It doesn't matter from where you are coming. Another way the person could give directions is to first ask where you are and give you directions from that location. This is an example of a relative link.

Relative links always start from where you are on the web at the moment.

• Example:

  Your current directory is : http://www.eos.net/eos/personalweb
  Your current file is: basic.htm

  If you wanted to link to a file called main.htm in the same directory, this is how you would type the link for both the absolute and relative link:

  Absolute: http://www.eos.net/eos/personalweb/main.htm
  Relative: main.htm

See how much easier relative links are. Suppose the file you want is in another directory within the same Web site. To go forward into another directory, simply type the name of the directory, then type a forward slash to indicate you are changing directories and type the name of the file.

• Example: images/background.gif

Suppose you need to go back a directory, simply type two periods and a slash, then the file name.

• Example: ../main.htm

IMPORTANT NOTE: Using relative links within your web site will greatly speed up your Web site's performance.

Using Images:

Images are great for enhancing your site's look. Here are some things to be cautious of when using images.

• Remember to use only jpg or gif type images.
• Large images, or many images take time to load. That time may be the difference in whether your visitor stays or leaves and goes somewhere else.
• Textured backgrounds are passé. If you use a textured background, use something simple and subtle.
• Remember that not everyone views pages with images turned on. Always have text links to back-up any image links you create.
• Animated images also take lots of time to download. Don't use them unless you have a purpose.

Navigation:

Clumsy site navigation is frustrating for visitors. Less is always more. Keep it simple, clear, and logical. If your site is small, be sure that visitors can get to every page from every page. If the site is large, make it your goal so that the most steps one needs to take from any one page in the site to another is less than four.

On the other hand, don't put more than 10 links per page. That is also confusing.

Great navigation is one of the most important elements of a great site.