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North Square completes an evaluation of Chelmsford Borough Council. We have worked for over 60 local authorities in the United Kingdom. View major clients, testimonials, and request references in our Client Portfolio.
(December 2011)
08 April 2009
Organisations are still failing to provide an effective range of help systems on their websites for users.
Websites should contain a range of help systems to assist users who cannot find the information they require via primary and secondary navigation bars. All websites should have a 'Frequently Asked Questions' page and 'Contact Us' page, and larger websites should include a 'Site Map', 'Site Index' and 'Search facility'.
Site indexes are a list of alphabetically organised terms that are pertinent to the business. Whilst site indexes are uncommon, they are a highly under-rated facility and are generally more useful than site maps because they are organised purely by content, rather than the confines of the navigation system. Site indexes are also invaluable for products or services that have different names. For example, Royal Mail might include the following on their site index:
Site indexes are also a great way of making sure that all pages get indexed by search engines. For more information on site indexes, see How to Create a Usable A-Z Site Index.
Help systems should be positioned in the upper-right hand corner of the page to fit with GUI convention (Graphical User Interface).
by David Miller
Website Analyst,
North Square Interactive
North Square Interactive is an online consultancy that delivers cost effective, best practice, Website Evaluation reports, Usability Testing, Website Competitor Analysis, Accessibility Audits, Browser Testing, and more. For further information about all of our services, please visit our Online Consultancy Index.
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