Evaluator
My name is Larry and also known as The Game Puppet as I am a gamer at heart. I am the owner/creator of this site and my award program started out as an extension of an existing homepage. As I gained more skills in web design I had a better idea what to look for. I design my own graphics and know what I like in judging a site.
I have been creating my own pages for over 12 years now and am aware of what other award sites are looking for. I hand code a lot of my pages and know how hard it is to get that perfect page. I have recently chosen to validate my entire site for WCAG compliance which is another aspect you can pursue, but be advised it is not for the timid.
I will be evaluating your site for the following areas:
Content & Design:
When visiting your site I would like to learn something. Having at least 5 pages of content is a good start. Just pages of links and banners or links to sites which have the same are easy to do, but not really informative. Webring pages, link pages, "awards won" pages and message boards are not real content, just filler pages. I would like to see your efforts put forth in your site. Wild colors and fonts make a site hard to grasp as sometimes even the most simple of pages will do.
Functionality:
How well does your site function and do all the internal links work? I know it is hard sometimes keeping up with links to other sites, but pages within your own site should always work. It is a good idea to have external sites open in new windows so that visitors do not have to hit the back button. A good navigation plan works best from a simple text menu to whatever you can imagine in your mind as long as it works.
Graphics:
You should at least attempt to create some of your own graphics as it gives you a good feeling of accomplishment. Remember even if a graphic seems to load fast on your own pc, size should be considered. Some do not like waiting minutes for a bunch of graphics to load. If you use large graphics at least state so in the page so it may be worth the wait.
Usefulness:
Web pages that just go nowhere like a page full of pictures of your pet, neighbors cutting the grass, etc. may interest you, but ask yourself "what would others like to see"? Just pictures of your pet, a vacation spot, or historic area on the other hand, with a caption or some background into the breed of dog that you have, would be more interesting to the viewer.
Load Time:
Some people have slower connections and pages that take longer then 90 seconds are too long to load. Flash sites on the other hand do take longer and visitors will understand that. A standard screen resolution is 800x600 so sites should be built along those rules.
