Web standards and expectations are always changing.

If you are just starting designing a new site, or redesigning an existing site,  we recommend (but do not yet require) that you consider the following:

1. Responsive Design.  “Responsive” means a web site that is designed to look good on all screens, from smart phones to tablets to full screen viewing on laptops or desktop monitors.  This is accomplished through specific coding strategies and style sheets that will resize and restack elements on a page to be easy to read and navigate on different size view screens.   If you are choosing a template on a platform such as WordPress or Weebly, you will want to look for the “responsive” feature.  This is standard for newer template designs, but older templates may not include this feature.
2. Https / TLS / SSL   A website that is secured with a certificate transmits and receives all its data in encrypted format.  This is much safer for users when providing information on contact forms– and obviously very important for e-commerce sites that collect credit card data.  But TLS  or SSL encryption is also becoming increasingly standard for all websites, because it protects against other mischief and malware.  You know you are on a secured site when you see a lock icon in your browser bar.   When you navigate to an SSL-encryped site, you will also see the URL prefaced with https://  rather than simply http://

There is currently a widespread movement to encourage all sites to move to SSL.  Google now provides a small boost in rankings to secure sites, and is likely over time to increase the level at which these sites are favored.  And the popular Google chrome browser includes a prominent  “not secure” designation for unencrypted sites:

This could deter site visitors.  Some may assume that the site is generally unsafe and avoid it; others may be rightfully wary of submitting information on a contact form.

In contrast, once the site’s certificate has been installed, all browsers will display a familiar lock icon:

Fortunately, it doesn’t cost much to get a server certificate– a growing number of web hosts are offering this service for free, and if this is not available, the cost of a basic certificate is nominal.   This does require some technical knowledge to implement, however — so it is something to discuss with your web host support or with your web designer.

This page was updated on September 23, 2018