Here are the first five tips:

1. Don't use frames 
67% of Belgian local government sites uses frames. Frames have numerous disadvantages and should be avoided at all costs. Read our article 'Frames: an absolute disaster' for more information.

2. Make sure your site is compatible with more browsers than just Internet Explorer 
On 43% of the tested sites important elements like the navigation or certain forms only work in Internet Explorer. Some web builders claim the small group of surfers who don't use Internet Explorer are a negligible minority but that's not entirely correct. About 5% of the surfers use Netscape, Mozilla or Opera, and for government sites, 5% is anything but negligible. Nice detail: every administration depending on the Ministry of Flanders uses Netscape. True, it's impossible to make a site that looks exactly the same on every configuration with a single html code. But that's not the point. The point is that a site has to work properly on all configurations and that ís possible with a single html code.

3. Don't use Flash gratuitously
27% of the sites use Flash without providing an alternative for users who don't have the Flash plug-in. All of the sites that use Flash do so for decorative reasons or to add some animation to their site, which usually only creates legibility and clickability problems. Only use Flash if it means an added value for users and take into account not everyone has the plug-in installed. Don't count on users downloading the plug-in either. Especially inexperienced users don't like downloading and installing new software.

4. Use a clear font size 
40% of the local government sites uses a font size that is too small. Web sites are often made by young people with 20/20 vision who tend to forget the sites they're making wil also be visited by other people who don't have perfect eyesight. Don't make it hard on users and use either Verdana or Arial as font type in a minimum size of 10 points. Read our article 'Visually handicapped users are users too' for more information on how to make your site easy to read for all users.

5. Show information on the homepage
67% of Belgian towns and cities don't succeed in making clear on the homepage what users can do on the site. There are a lot of introduction screens, Flash intros and warm welcomes from the mayor but real information is very hard to come by. Use the homepage to show users what they can do on your site by giving examples of the site's content: show the latest news articles or the upcoming events. There's a page you really want users to visit? Put a teaser on the homepage. The homepage is the most important page of your site; use it.

Els Aerts & Karl Gilis