Investigation should result in an analysis of the design elements used in professionally developed websites with examples of effective and ineffective sites. The following web design guidelines may be used to evaluate the effectiveness of site(s):

Does the site have a consistent theme that is used on all web pages?
Does the theme target a specific audience?
Does it contain navigation links in the same place on each web page?
Is there a "Home" link on each page that returns the user to the main page?
Are the visuals appealing, and do they have a purpose?
Are text blocks broken up for clarity and readability?
Do the colors add to or subtract from the message?
Does the website contain errors in the text?
Does the site contain blinking, scrolling, or animated images that are distracting and/or irritating to the viewer?
Is the website user-friendly with all popular browsers (i.e., browser evaluator) including mobile browsers?
Does the website contain database technology in the background of the website?