A complex home page graphic that takes forever to download, doesn't fit on the average reader's screen, and offers little or no functionality will repel most Web users. Remember that Web pages must be downloaded to the user, and that the page only gradually builds its graphic impact. The best measure of the efficiency of a page design is the number of options available within the top four inches of your page. Think in screens of information, not pages Always base your page header design on what the average reader with the average display monitor will see within the first screen of information. The most effective Web page headers incorporate a combination of graphics and interactive links, most often in the form of an imagemap.
Graphics used within headers can also signal the relatedness of a series of Web pages.
Even if you choose not to use graphics on your pages, the header area of a Web page should contain a prominent title at or very near the top of the page. In a related series of documents there may also be subtitles, section titles, or other text elements that convey the relationship of the currently visible document to others in the series. To be effective, these title elements must be carefully standardized across all of the pages in your site. Page footers Page footers should always carry basic information about the origin and age of the page. Every Web page needs to bear this basic information, but this repetitive and prosaic information often does not deserve the prominence of being placed at the top of the page.