Hantsweb Good Practice

Design

Site maps

Image or site maps are often provided on web sites. A 'site map' can be a menu, an index or a graphical image representing the layout of the web site. Hantsweb uses subject-based menus to guide visitors around the web site.

Image-based site maps are discouraged in Hantsweb. They create problems with:

• browser incompatibility
• accessibility issue
• maintenance
• performance

Consider using a text based solution such as an A-Z list. If you still require a site map they should not be so large that they take an unreasonable time to load. The user should be given information about the file size of the map and what it includes so that they can decide whether to load it or not. If you do use a site map you MUST supply a text form alternative.

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