Diverse Opinions Needed

[Rosette]

Hello,

My name is Rosette and I am new to te DaniWed community. I have been navigating and searching the forums to familiarize myself with this community and I am impressed and intrigued by the variety of topics I am exposed to.

I am on the advertising team of a fairly new publication, and because we are tight on finances, we cannot afford real professional web designers to create our web site. Our company web site is viewed by people all over the world and I would like to make sure that it is suitable for such a diverse audience.

I know that colors, pictures, designs, and so on all mean different things to different people of various backgrounds. Are there any rules or guidelines one should use when desiging a web site that is targeting a diverse global community?

We hired a group of people that designed our web site for us, but its nice to hear the opinions from different perspectives to better reach out to others. Your assistance would be deeply appreciated.

I look forward to hearing any advice that comes my way.

Sincerely,
Rossetta

[DaveSW]

If you're looking at less developed countries, you'll need to ensure fast download times.
Also look at cross-browser compatibility - some people may use macs etc.
You need a standard layout so that people know where to find things, and you need to make your navigation system clear so people who perhaps aren't too familiar with english can still find what they want.

Are we supposed to be commenting generally or on the link in your profile?

[Rosette]

We are reaching out to all countries, cultures, social status, educational levels, professions and so on.

I thank you for your suggestions and will keep them in mind.