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University of Wyoming

Web Pages
Web Page Length

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It may not be something you often think about, but the length of a Web page is an important factor to consider when designing pages.  If a page is very long, even small movements of the scroll bar can greatly alter the contents of the screen.  To make matters worse, long pages may contain no familiar landmarks.  Finally, longer pages with multiple graphics can lead to increased download times.  From a sheer interface standpoint, a lot of scrolling can be problematic.

A few factors to consider when determining how long a Web page should be include:

  • the content of the page;
  • whether it will be read online or offline;
  • and the estimated screen size and relative page size (if you have a feel for that sort of thing).

A good rule of thumb is to create pages that have no more than three or four screens of information.  Furthermore, it is important to include navigation for major elements at both ends of the page.  In most cases, it is best to take advantage of the nature of the Web and separate the pages into hyperlinked sections.  Home pages should never be too long.

Ed.  11/2003

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Updated 09/15/2006