Website Development: Part 2 – How Long Should Web Pages Be?
Posted Under: Internet Marketing Information
One of the many factors that determine the usability of a website, is how long a web page should be.
Websites with good usability, have quality content, ease of navigation, easy accessibility, and readability.
Page length might seem like an unimportant detail, however, it is an important factor that affects the readability and ultimate usability of a website.
Page length should always be a consideration, when developing your website.
Pages visually present information to website visitors in a way that is easy on the eyes. The page should be just long enough to accommodate the information that the webmaster needs to present to the viewer.
A simple decision determines the length of the page; should it be short or long?
Since web pages are seldom uniform, the web page content and it’s purpose, determines the page length.
Consider the following:
1 – Goal of the website
When developing your website, the overall determination for web page length should be part of the planning process. Decide on the structure of web pages during site planning, not after your website has been constructed.
2 – Page content
Obviously, the content determines the length of the page. The home page is usually short, since most of the time, it simply presents an overview, or synopsis of the web site.
Information that can be scanned easily by the reader, and pages containing extended graphics, should also be short in duration.
Site maps and pages like these, must be large enough to accommodate all the information they present, therefore they must be longer in length.
3 – Scrolling of pages vs. links
Web developers must determine weather a scroll bar, or page link, should be used for content pages. The key factor in making this determination, is speed. Generally, links are used in favor of scroll bars, when speed is deemed the necessary factor.
There are many other website development methods that improve a website`s usability, and these should be integrated into your website when circumstance permits.
Web pages should always be constructed long enough to accommodate the information that its paper counterparts would easily accommodate.
