Avoid Using Size Specifications On Graphics

Use any of the dozens of Web page design programs and you'll find that they automatically include HEIGHT and WIDTH values for each graphic on a page. The upside is that this lets the browser lay out the page faster but the unspoken dark side is one that you want to be very cautious about: if you drop in a new version of any graphics on your site once you've used these specifications, you're forever locked into the size of the original graphic. I constantly get bit by this and it's very annoying. The better solution; give yourself complete freedom to design - and redesign - your site as you wish by omitting the height and width specifications.

One Medium Size Graphic is Faster than a Dozen Separate Files

A bad tendency of new Web designers is to drop in lots of spot graphics and to have a row of buttons as separate graphics. It makes design easy, but slows down your page considerably; each graphic must be sent after a new transfer negotiation between the client and the server. A larger image-mapped graphic that encompasses all the small icons or buttons is considerably faster, or, be a rebel, and consider using text-only tags.

All Online Adverts Should Include a Call to Action

The statistics are pretty well known; if you have a banner advert on the Internet you're likely to see approximately 1.5% click-through (e.g, if 1000 people see your advert, only 15 of them will click on it to go to your site). You can improve that considerably by remembering to 1. offer them something compelling (a bargain is better than a fancy graphic), and 2. have a call-to-action: somewhere on the banner make sure you specify 'click here' or 'click me' or similar. It makes a surprising difference. One final recommendation: a thin blue outline for the advert reminds people that it's a button that can be clicked.