Time and again I come across a web site with ages of load time, nearly illegible copy and a lack of content but full of irritating gimmicks. Often I cannot help wondering: "Horrible! Didn't they see how their Internet appearance does them a disservice? If their web site is looking like that - however will their core business be ... ?" Then, upon second thought, I have to say to myself: "Well, there's only one reasonable explanation: They *really* didn't see it."

Indeed, when you are developing your web site, you do it strictly LOCALLY on your computer. That's a great difference to how it will come out ONLINE to your visitors. (In fact, that's what makes the difference between a professional web site designer and someone who is carving out his/her own web site. The pro's of course are subject to the same discrepancies - but they are aware of them. The amateur is happy when his/her web site design is looking well on the own computer - disregarding that it might be looking very differently to a visitor!)

Some of the main differences between local and online web sites are the following:

Load Time:

Many surveys among web surfers show that load time is one of the main deterrent factors for NOT entering a web site and turning to another one instead. Professional web site design will always try to have contents on screen within the first few seconds. Additional parts of your web site can be loaded during the following 20-60 seconds - but during that time the visitor should already have something to read on screen! (Preferably, of course, something to make his/her mouth water what is yet to come.)

Don't forget: When you design your web site LOCALLY, your computer takes the contents from the hard disk - that is, it appears on your screen within milliseconds, even with the most extravagant graphics etc. A visitor to your web site, however, will have to load it ONLINE. And this might take quite a long time. While switching to another web site is just a matter of seconds. Don't be tempted to stuff your web site with things nobody is eager to see or hear!

There are many companies specialized in helping you to make your web site look more professionally. Some of them are even quite generous about their free advice, e.g. WebSource.com (E:Downloadweb-source.com ).

Screen Resolution:

When you design your web site locally, you will usually do it at the same screen resolution you have set your computer to as you use it for all other applications. When you are finished, it looks "perfect". Amateurish web designers would feel great now, and upload their stuff right away.

Yet, professional web site designers will deliberately transfer their design to any other browsers with different screen resolution or even to another computer with a different operating system. And, usually, they will be in for a shock: What was looking "perfect" initially, might be garbled now or hard to read.

The reason is, a HTML code is no "hard copy" (like e.g. a poster printed on paper). Instead, the browser "paints" the copy described in htm-code differently every time, according to the available space. (Convince yourself: Display any .htm-file in your browser, but this time don't maximize the browser's window but set it to variable size. When you drag the window, say, at the lower right corner - you will see how the words and images move around. Up to a point perhaps at which you lose the context when reading them!)