Website Design Mistakes - How to Avoid Them
December 1, 2006
I find myself browsing through approximately 50-75 sites per day. The reason I spend so much time browsing is to keep up with what is hot, what is popular and which websites are ranking high in the search engines according to specific keywords. I also browse through this many sites so that I can check to see who is out there that I may want to form a partnership, link exchange, joint venture, etc. with.
When I spend my time going through these websites, I’m sometimes speechless at what I come across. I often ask myself, “Do these people have 20/20 vision? Are they seeing something I don’t? Is this a new trend in website marketing?” I wanted to share with you some of the things I’ve come across in hopes that you can use this list as a checklist for what you DO NOT want to do on your own site.
Here is my list of what I think are some mistakes when it comes to web design:
1. Spelling and grammar mistakes. Here’s a tip to ensure your text is grammar and spelling mistake free: take the text from your website, paste it into a word processing software program (e.g. Word) and run a spelling and grammar check. Next, take some time and proofread it twice.
2. Really tacky or dated imagery. There is nothing worse than coming across a site where the images appear to be taken from the early 1980s. Graphics, banners, buttons, icons, logos, etc. should all be updated to reflect what is current. Seriously - I know it takes some time but it begs to be done!
3. Mismatched font type and font size. Now - before you jump onto my comments area and tell me that mismatched fonts are okay, I know when it is acceptable but I’m referring to the unacceptable kind. For those of you who don’t know the difference, allow me to explain. Acceptable: on a sales letter page where you want to distinguish between the regular copy, a testimonial, a call to action, etc. Unacceptable: on your home page, having a little bit o’ Arial, a little bit o’ Tahoma and a mash of font sizes within the same sentence. Totally, one hundred percent unacceptable and if you are doing this, please change it now. Save our eyeballs!
4. Links that take me more than two minutes to find. If I land on your page and it takes me more than two minutes to find out how to contact you, I’m outta there. There is nothing worse than unclear paths on your website. Lay it out so that I can see quickly and easily the most important parts of your website. If you are selling a product and I can’t find your Buy Now button, I’m not buying! If I can’t locate your articles page within a few seconds of looking, I’m not posting your articles to my blog! It’s as simple as that. Make it user-friendly and clutter-free!
5. Dated content and events pages that are two years old. Yuck! If a customer comes to your website and realizes that you never update it, chances are they are not going to buy what you are selling because you aren’t taking a proactive approach to your business. Customers want to deal with people who are energized, enthusiastic, hip, current and most of all, informative. Don’t leave your customers guessing at what is current and what is a few years old - just keep your content updated!
I’m sure I have more but I’ll do a three or four part series on this and come back to it as I search through the web. I would use direct examples here but I think the website owners would start writing me hate mail and that’s really not why I’m here! I just want an easy to navigate, pleasant on the eyes Internet for all!
What are some of the things you despise on the net?
Erin Blaskie is The VA Coach, a virtual assistant coach who assists individuals wanting to become a virtual assistant get their businesses launched successfully and efficiently. Erin is also the Owner of Business Services, ETC (A Virtual Assistance Company) that serves business owners around the world. You can visit her on the web at http://www.thevacoach.com or http://www.bsetc.ca.
Comments
Got something to say?