Avoid these mistakes and your site will be steps ahead of your competition.
1. Not planning your site
Before you even have a website, you must have an idea, a focus. Why do you want a website? What are your plans and goals for the site? Sit down and draw out a map of possible pages and ideas for your site. Include your site's purpose --whether it is to sell more product or make the public more aware of your issue -- whatever it may be. Build your site from it's strong foundation (your goals) and you'll have a better, more solid site.
2. Failing to put contact information in a plainly seen location.
This could be disastrous. If a customer doesn't see this information, they can't contact you. You should consider a 'Contact Us' button or link from your Home page. Even better, make a link to your email address in your header or footer, somewhere that will show up on every page. Even if no one ever contacts you this way, just the presence of this information comforts edgy customers.
3. Broken Links
Do you enjoy clicking on a search result only to get a Page Not Found Error? No one likes them. Check your site statistics at least once a month (if not more) to make sure you don't have bad or broken links.
4. Outdated Information
A sure turn-off to a potential customer is the presence of old information. If it's July and your website is announcing the 'new' products available in February, your site just lost major credibility. Make sure your information is up-to-date. Consider adding a 'Whats New' button or a Business Blog.
5. Too Many Font Styles and Colors
This is a huge pet-peeve of my company. I've had people ask me to review their website and the first thing I notice is 4 different fonts. It looks bad, unorganized and unappealing. Different colors may attract the eye for a short time, but constant flashing or otherwise bright fonts (and graphics!) become annoying. Beware, this is a sure-fire way to scare people away from your site!
6. Orphan Pages
Every website has a heirarchy, a sort of tree that branches out from the Home Page. While most of your visitors visit you through your home page, there are times when a page further down interests someone, and they may copy that link and send it to a friend. This is where you need to pay attention. That friend may like what you have to offer, but they can't find out how to contact you, or how to get back to your Home Page. That's an orphan page. Every page on your site should, at a minimum, have a link back to your Home page. I would suggest adding a contact link at minimum.
7. Frames
Frames at one time were the talk of the industry. They were the original Content Management System (CMS) for your site. Nowadays they are few and far between. If you are designing a site, don't use frames. Newer technologies such as server-side includes are much more common and accepted. Your pages look fresher and those silly bars don't get in the way.
8. Disabling the BACK button and excessive Pop-Ups
Have you been to a website and decided that it wasn't the information you were looking for? When you clicked the BACK button, did you suddenly get a barrage of windows (or, pop-ups) to your dismay? These things rarely actually work, and worse off, the reason you hit the BACK button is because you DIDN'T want any more information from that site. Don't break the BACK button. There are other ways to get your user's attention.
9. Slow loading pages
While personal and hobby sites may normally be slow, there should be no reason for your business or other professional website to be slow loading. Today's Internet surfer won't wait long for information from your site - there are too many others with the same thing! Make sure your pages load quickly. If the server is slow, consider a different host. If your webpages are full of applets or large graphics, consider a page/site redesign.
10. Using Leading-Edge Technology
While the Internet is all about new and fancy stuff, don't be the first to do it. While it may 'look cool' to you, you ultimately need to decide if it actually enhances your user's experience. Do the flashy cartoons make your customer more apt to buy from you? Probably not. How many of your customers have to install a Plug-In just to see your page right? Do they have to upgrade their browser to contact you? Not good. Wait until the technology is either more of a standard or gone - you'll save face with potential and future customers.
About the Author
Will Hanke is a self-proclaimed geek who owns and operates Lighthouse Technologies (www.techlh.com), a web development and hosting company based in ArnoldMissouri. For questions or comments, email him at will@techlh.com. And buy yourself a good virus program so he doesn't have to fight your emails with anti-virus spray.
A well designed web site is great to have, but... Read More
Colors convey emotions and emotions heavily influence the decision-making process.... Read More
1. Don't load your web site with a lot of... Read More
Before deciding on which web design company to choose, you... Read More
Favorite icon appears to the left of your link in... Read More
Seeing is believing.One trick to increase your visibility as well... Read More
Marketing is not an easy skill to acquire.It requires patience... Read More
One visit does not make a sale. Be sure to... Read More
Back to basics. Forget funky design, good copywriting is the... Read More
This may comes as a surprise to you but, if... Read More
If you are reading this, I assume you either have... Read More
Everyday we hear that another company goes out of business.When... Read More
In retailing there is a saying that sales are made... Read More
Your web site is the key to your success on... Read More
Surfing the internet is basically an information-fest! From intellectual discussions... Read More
No matter what product or service you're promoting, unless you... Read More
Content is undoubtedly the most important element of a website.... Read More
1. Web site File Structure / File NamingMost search engines... Read More
Unarguably, the most important part of your website is content.... Read More
If you have a web site to which people pay... Read More
If you've a website but not making a lot of... Read More
First off, I am a designer. Now you're thinking, here's... Read More
I want you to imagine a lemon. In your mind's... Read More
When JV Media Design was formed, the year was 1995... Read More
Making a successful online business can be a long and... Read More
The internet is full of web design companies pleading for... Read More
CSS is a new option for website designers that have... Read More
Just what is web copy? Some people think that web... Read More
Everybody talks about the importance of testing your sales copy... Read More
The first step to starting any Internet business is conducting... Read More
If you were like me and you have just started... Read More
Reading on the web is different than reading in all... Read More
When you design a website how do you start ?Do... Read More
Websites that have multiple pages usually have a Frequently Asked... Read More
With so many different configurations internet users have their computers... Read More
Easy navigation and usability are one of the most important... Read More
**How Colors are Used in web design:**Demarcates screen elements into... Read More
Here are a few programs I can't do without. They're... Read More
Don't mess with those links! When you're designing your site,... Read More
One of the most frequent questions I get asked about... Read More
There are plenty of web sites out there in which... Read More
Traffic to a site can be a blessing or a... Read More
A well designed web site is great to have, but... Read More
You know that I'm always extolling the virtues of an... Read More
Tips to brand your websiteInclude your logo in all pages.... Read More
They may look cutting edge, but if you want a... Read More
This may comes as a surprise to you but, if... Read More
A "404 Error" happens when the web server you are... Read More
Don't knock it; "Keep It Simple, Stupid" is a great... Read More
When a prospect lands on your website will he or... Read More
This article may come as a surprise to you.Especially since... Read More
If you've a website that is not generating a lot... Read More
Web advertising has taken many forms, including those that appear... Read More
There's no doubt about it - the first page your... Read More
If you have a business, big or small you may... Read More
Effective navigation stands out. It's clear, obvious, and highly visible.You'll... Read More
The concept of web designing based on the nature and... Read More
Since I made the switch 6 months ago to a... Read More
There are two important reasons to build your website from... Read More
The ability to create simple, attractive and functional web pages... Read More
When designing your website, remember to avoid useless and confusing... Read More
So you want to build a website here I will... Read More
For online businesses with their main goal of selling products,... Read More
What is the relationship between Marketing and Web designing? How... Read More
One of the most popular methods of traffic generation is... Read More
Nope. You certainly don't need a website.But you don't need... Read More
Web Design |