Building a high-quality Web site requires following certain principles of online media design that used to be a matter of opinion. More often they are now based on fact and experience.

When print editors make decisions, they do so in isolation. They can’t see or measure how readers read the paper, how much of a story they do read, whether they like the presentation, etc. So the print editors have to use their best judgment.

Choices made about a Web site story choice or presentation is based on direct feedback. Web editors get to view daily – and sometimes even hourly -- audience reports that show exactly how many times a story is read, how long a visitor stays on a site and how many pages they view when they are on the site.

But you don’t need to spend years reading audience reports and figuring out how to make a better Web site. You can get started with a few simple principles.

1.Keep the Navigation Simple

The typical Web surfer visits more than 100 sites a month. They go “information harvesting” rather than read stories at length. Make it as easy as possible for them to get to stories quickly. Some sites use a three-click rule – all content must be accessible within three clicks. Thoughtful navigation is critical.

2.Don’t Clutter Pages

Newspaper sites tend to design large pages and pack them with an overwhelming number of elements. “Too busy” is one of the most common criticisms of many Web sites, according to research. Others are “too slow” because of heavy pages and “can’t find what I want.” (See No. 1.) Clutter used to be the number of elements on a page. Now it includes animation, audio and video.

3.Go Wide Rather Than Deep

It’s a well-known fact of Web design that many people don’t like to use the scroll bar on their browser. I proved it with a lengthy experiment on a major site where I used code to track the number of clicks on every link on the home page. There was a significant drop-off in clicks below the fold, meaning below the point on the browser where people have to scroll. So, use horizontal space effectively and avoid long pages that require excessive scrolling.

4.Use White Space Liberally

The tendency to pack Web pages with everything but the kitchen sink leads to designs that reduce the air around elements to the point where it’s even harder to scan the page. White space makes the page easier to absorb and leads to higher clickthroughs.

In keeping with the point that started this column, you will find out how effective you are in creating a quality site by tracking the pages per visit. Newspaper sites typically range from three to seven pages per visit. Where do you fall in that range?