Web Design: In Easy Steps by Richard Quick

Web design 101     7
World War 3 and the birth of the Internet     8
What is HTML?     10
Create stylish sites with CSS     12
Introducing Javascript     13
The magic of multimedia     14
Domain names & servers     16
Database-driven websites     17
Should I hire a web designer?     18
Planning your websites     19
Setting a goal for your site     20
Understanding your visitors     21
Check out the competition     22
What to include on your site     23
The 3 click rule     24
4 types of web page     25
Creating a sitemap     26
The essential information     27
Planning your look-and-feel     28
7 steps to a great site     29
Case study: Know what you're aiming for     30
Anatomy of a web page     31
Body copy     32
Headings     33
Hyperlinks     34
Images     35
Lists     36
Tables     37
Forms     38
Header & footer     39
Navigation     40
Search box     41
Pop-up windows     42
Frames & scrolling areas     43
Advertising     44
Writing for the Web     45
Keep it short and simple     46
Grab people with headlines     47
Writing a news story     48
Sell anything in 4 steps     50
Painting with words     51
Why search engines matter     52
Do you trust your spellings?     53
Top 9 web writing tips     54
The rules of good design     55
Pencil & paper     56
How big is a web page?     57
Getting to grips with the grid     58
The art of typography     60
Fonts on the Web     62
Websites aren't printed on paper     63
Using color     64
Lines & shapes     66
Gradients & texture     67
Size & contrast     68
Position is everything     69
Guiding people's eyes     70
Attention to detail     72
Less is more     73
Web design is product design     74
The call to action     76
Ugly websites make money      77
Case study: Convention & style     78
Adding pictures     79
How to take a good photo     80
Choosing images for your site     81
Scanning & digital photos     82
Other people's photography     83
Photography on a budget     84
Using thumbnails     85
Illustrations & icons     86
Jpegs & gifs     87
Keeping files small     88
Colorizing a photo     89
Writing useful ALT text     90
Background images     91
Case study: Themed images     92
Links and navigation     93
Linking to other web pages     94
Linking to an email address     95
Adding image links     96
Adding a navigation bar     97
Why be conventional?     98
Navigation on large sites     99
Using a drop-down menu     100
Breadcrumb trails     101
Adding a site search     102
Adding a sitemap     103
Case study: Creating a smooth journey     104
Web forms     105
What are web forms?     106
How forms work      107
Basic form elements     108
Adding a contact form     109
Error checking     110
Designing easy to use forms     111
Forms: top design tips     112
Making your site sticky     113
Why do people return to websites?     114
Something for nothing     115
Adding news     116
Installing a message board     117
Games & contests     118
Building your website     119
The web designer's toolbox     120
Where do I start?     121
Sketching out ideas     122
Perfecting your design     123
Cutting up your design     124
Building your site visually     125
Building your site by hand     126
Web design on a budget     127
Making the back end work     128
Test early, test often     129
Tables or web standards?     130
Looking to the future     131
The Web (version 2)     132
Why reinvent the wheel?     133
AJAX: the way of the future?     134
Mastering microformats     136
Business websites      137
What makes a good business website?     138
Defining your brand     139
Standing out from the crowd     140
Content management     141
Web databases     142
Ecommerce     143
Online shops     144
Selling online with eBay     145
Getting paid     146
Personal sites and blogs     147
Why create your own site?     148
Set up a blog with Blogger     149
Create an online resume     150
Reaching the widest audience     151
Testing on different browsers     152
Web standards     153
Does your site speak Chinese?     154
Introducing accessibility     155
Top 7 accessibility tips     156
Designing for multiple devices     157
Frames & why not to use them     158
Launching your site     159
Choosing a web host     160
Registering a domain name     161
Uploading your site     162
Setting up email accounts     163
Testing your site     164
Promoting your site     165
Location, location, location      166
Search engine optimization     167
Submitting your site to Google     168
Keywords: what they are and how to use them     169
Inside the mind of Google     170
3 search engine myths     172
Why web standards matter     173
Blogging & podcasting     174
Advertise with Google AdWords     175
The 5 worst SEO mistakes     176
4 cheap ways to market your site     177
Getting 'real world' exposure     178
Promoting your site with email     179
Who's visiting your website?     180
The dark side of SEO     181
And finally...     182
Glossary     183
Index     187