25 + Common Website Design Mistakes To Avoid
By Debbie Ray
I'm sure you've seen examples
of great websites on the Internet
-- and also examples of really "bad" websites. First impressions are extremely
important - you have about 20 seconds to make that first impression a good
one. If you want your visitor to come back you've got to do a lot to impress
them in an extremely short period of time.
Many individuals or small business owners often opt to design and build their
own websites. Without proper experience or website design background many
mistakes are made. If you are a beginner then there are several things you
should keep in mind to avoid before designing your website.
Here are several common mistakes which should be avoided when designing
your new website.
1. Slow Loading Pages
Problem: Have you ever gone to a website and waited and waited for it to load?
Solution: Optimize your images at a lower resolution to achieve faster loading
pages. Keep your page sizes well under 60 KB.
2. Page Layout
Problem: Websites that have the navigation in different places throughout the
site. It looks cluttered and unprofessional.
Solution: Be consistent and be organized in your websites layout. Make sure all
your web pages look the same and the websites navigation is in the same
location on each page.
3. Wild and Crazy Color Schemes
Problem: Have you ever visited a website that has a background with a bright,
neon color and can't read the content because the colors are so loud? What's the
point?
Solution: Think "easy to read." Avoid dark backgrounds with light colored
fonts. White background with black text is best for the general public.
4. Spelling and Grammar Errors
Problem: Spelling and grammar errors just jump off the page.
Solution: Always spell check.
5. Text on the Page
Problem: Most Internet users don't read web pages - they scan them.
Solution: Make sure your page is easy to read. Break text into manageable
pieces, use sub-headings, short paragraphs, highlighted keywords and bullet
points.
6. Font Styles and Sizes
Problem: Serif fonts such as Times New Roman are more difficult to read on a
computer monitor. Also, text that is too small or way too big are hard to read.
Solution: Use non-serif fonts such as Arial, Verdana or MS Sans Serif for web
pages that will be read online. Your page will look much better, more
professional, and will be much easier for your visitor to read.
7. Not Enough "White Space"
Problem: Too many words on a web page can be overwhelming.
Solution: Make your page easy to read by breaking the text into smaller, more
manageable pieces. Also, use sub-headings and bullet points.
8. Cheesy Music that the User Cannot Control
Problem: Background music on a site that does not fit. Next, not being able to
shut it off.
Solution: If you think you need to use music on your website for some reason,
then make sure you offer your visitors the option to turn it off, or on, quickly
and easily.
9. Poor Layout and Design
Problem: Have you ever been to a website that is simply just "too much"? It's
like they are trying to fill every available pixel of space on the entire page.
Solution: Don't overdo it when designing your pages. Just because you can add
something doesn't mean you have to. Leave plenty of white space between
your text and images.
10. Overly Long Pages
Problem: Ever been to a website with a page that just scrolls down forever?
Solution: Most people will never scan down to the bottom of really long pages.
It's better to have several short pages vs. a few really long pages.
11. Non-Standard Links
Problem: You go to a website and aren't sure which words are really links
because the link colors have been changed.
Solution: Don't confuse your users. Keep the link colors as they are.
12. Under Construction signs
Problem: Have you ever been to a website and found a page with no content of
any type but a big "Under Construction" sign instead?
Solution: Don't use "Under Construction" signs on your website.
13. Didn't Test Your Web Site
Problem: Ever been to a website that just looks like a mess? Maybe you saw
text overlapping images, weird alignment, etc.
Solution: Always check to see what your site looks like in multiple browsers
and change accordingly before uploading your site to the web.
14. Unclear Navigation
Problem: You don't enjoy broken links, error pages or too many moving objects
-- neither do your websites visitors. If navigation is too difficult to follow,
visitors won't return.
Solution: Make sure that your navigation is easy to read, find and to follow.
Also, make sure that it is in the same spot on all of your websites pages.
15. Sloppy Web Site Copy
Problem: Have you ever visited a website with missing words, bad grammar,
or it just didn't make sense?
Solution: Always remember, "Content is King" on the Internet, so make sure
there is plenty of good, focused information for your visitors.
16. Never Updating Your Site
Problem: Ever go to a website that hasn't been changed at all over the last few
times that you've visited it?
Solution: You should always update the content on your site frequently.
17. Too Many Clicks
Problem: Have you ever gone to a website, found something you're interested
in checking out, and then had to click, click, click before you found the item
you were looking for (if you didn't give up first)?
Solution: Don't test the patience of your visitors. Make sure that everything can
be found on your site within 3 clicks or less.
18. No Privacy Policy
Problem: No Privacy Policy page is listed on a website.
Solution: Post a Privacy Policy on your website. Make sure that your customers
know that you will not share their addresses with anyone.
19. No Company Contact Information
Problem: A company with no address or contact information is not one you
necessarily want to give your money to.
Solution: Email addresses or phone numbers are most often seen as contact
information on websites, however, having a physical mailing address on your
web site adds another key credibility factor.
20. Using Free Web Hosting
Problem: You visit a web page that has a name so long you'll never remember
it because it is from one of those free website hosts.
Solution: If you want your Internet business to be taken seriously avoid using
free web hosting. This all adds to the issue of credibility.
21. Using Free E-mail Addresses
Problem: You visit a website and try to send an email to them, however the
email addresses are not associated with the domain name.
Solution: Using a free email address, such as Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail, is never
appropriate for your website. On your website, always use an email addresses
associated with your own business domain name.
22. Advertisements
Problem: You've come to a website where the pages are cluttered with a lot of
different advertisements.
Solution: A lot of people are using advertisements to earn extra money. That's
fine, just don't overdo it.
23. Bad Images
Problem: How many times have you seen a web page with missing graphics
files or misshaped images?
Solution: Always optimize your images and use the height and width attributes
of the image tag. Additionally, save the files in the right image formats: JPG for
Photographs and GIF for artwork.
24. This Website Best Viewed on...
Problem: This is often seen on many beginner websites.
Solution: Simply don't use this on your website.
25. No Prices
Problem: Websites that don't have product prices listed clearly.
Solution: If you're selling a product on your website, ALWAYS include a price
with the item description.
And here's a list of things that you should just avoid, or should not forget,
simply because it's the right thing to do, website design-wise. And here they
are:
AVOID: Frames, Hit counters, Orphan pages, Anything "Cutesy", Pop ups,
Fancy Fonts, Don't overuse Flash, Avoid Javascript links, Blinking text ,
Animated GIFs, Missing Meta Tags, Horizontal (sideways) Scrolling, Don't
underline or color normal text, Don't forget functional links on your footer,
Don't forget about your Marketing Strategies, Don't forget to include anchor text
on your links, Never subscribe a visitor for anything without his consent, Don't
leave the home page title as "Welcome to Mysite.com", Avoid using all the
"Bells And Whistles" simply because you can, Not Taking Advantage of SEO
(Search Engine Optimization) on your website
Whether you have created your own website or are working with someone else
on creating your website, I hope all these ideas above will help you build a
better website that steadily attracts visitors. If you've never built a website
on your own, I hope the tips above help you design the best site that you can
and help you to avoid all these issues in the future. Knowledge is critical.
About the author: Debbie Ray, is owner of Pedigree Pups.com , The Website Doctor ,
Pedigree Dogs and Total German Shepherd. She is a lifelong animal lover, dog enthusiast
and Internet business owner.
By Debbie Ray
I'm sure you've seen examples
of great websites on the Internet
-- and also examples of really "bad" websites. First impressions are extremely
important - you have about 20 seconds to make that first impression a good
one. If you want your visitor to come back you've got to do a lot to impress
them in an extremely short period of time.
Many individuals or small business owners often opt to design and build their
own websites. Without proper experience or website design background many
mistakes are made. If you are a beginner then there are several things you
should keep in mind to avoid before designing your website.
Here are several common mistakes which should be avoided when designing
your new website.
1. Slow Loading Pages
Problem: Have you ever gone to a website and waited and waited for it to load?
Solution: Optimize your images at a lower resolution to achieve faster loading
pages. Keep your page sizes well under 60 KB.
2. Page Layout
Problem: Websites that have the navigation in different places throughout the
site. It looks cluttered and unprofessional.
Solution: Be consistent and be organized in your websites layout. Make sure all
your web pages look the same and the websites navigation is in the same
location on each page.
3. Wild and Crazy Color Schemes
Problem: Have you ever visited a website that has a background with a bright,
neon color and can't read the content because the colors are so loud? What's the
point?
Solution: Think "easy to read." Avoid dark backgrounds with light colored
fonts. White background with black text is best for the general public.
4. Spelling and Grammar Errors
Problem: Spelling and grammar errors just jump off the page.
Solution: Always spell check.
5. Text on the Page
Problem: Most Internet users don't read web pages - they scan them.
Solution: Make sure your page is easy to read. Break text into manageable
pieces, use sub-headings, short paragraphs, highlighted keywords and bullet
points.
6. Font Styles and Sizes
Problem: Serif fonts such as Times New Roman are more difficult to read on a
computer monitor. Also, text that is too small or way too big are hard to read.
Solution: Use non-serif fonts such as Arial, Verdana or MS Sans Serif for web
pages that will be read online. Your page will look much better, more
professional, and will be much easier for your visitor to read.
7. Not Enough "White Space"
Problem: Too many words on a web page can be overwhelming.
Solution: Make your page easy to read by breaking the text into smaller, more
manageable pieces. Also, use sub-headings and bullet points.
8. Cheesy Music that the User Cannot Control
Problem: Background music on a site that does not fit. Next, not being able to
shut it off.
Solution: If you think you need to use music on your website for some reason,
then make sure you offer your visitors the option to turn it off, or on, quickly
and easily.
9. Poor Layout and Design
Problem: Have you ever been to a website that is simply just "too much"? It's
like they are trying to fill every available pixel of space on the entire page.
Solution: Don't overdo it when designing your pages. Just because you can add
something doesn't mean you have to. Leave plenty of white space between
your text and images.
10. Overly Long Pages
Problem: Ever been to a website with a page that just scrolls down forever?
Solution: Most people will never scan down to the bottom of really long pages.
It's better to have several short pages vs. a few really long pages.
11. Non-Standard Links
Problem: You go to a website and aren't sure which words are really links
because the link colors have been changed.
Solution: Don't confuse your users. Keep the link colors as they are.
12. Under Construction signs
Problem: Have you ever been to a website and found a page with no content of
any type but a big "Under Construction" sign instead?
Solution: Don't use "Under Construction" signs on your website.
13. Didn't Test Your Web Site
Problem: Ever been to a website that just looks like a mess? Maybe you saw
text overlapping images, weird alignment, etc.
Solution: Always check to see what your site looks like in multiple browsers
and change accordingly before uploading your site to the web.
14. Unclear Navigation
Problem: You don't enjoy broken links, error pages or too many moving objects
-- neither do your websites visitors. If navigation is too difficult to follow,
visitors won't return.
Solution: Make sure that your navigation is easy to read, find and to follow.
Also, make sure that it is in the same spot on all of your websites pages.
15. Sloppy Web Site Copy
Problem: Have you ever visited a website with missing words, bad grammar,
or it just didn't make sense?
Solution: Always remember, "Content is King" on the Internet, so make sure
there is plenty of good, focused information for your visitors.
16. Never Updating Your Site
Problem: Ever go to a website that hasn't been changed at all over the last few
times that you've visited it?
Solution: You should always update the content on your site frequently.
17. Too Many Clicks
Problem: Have you ever gone to a website, found something you're interested
in checking out, and then had to click, click, click before you found the item
you were looking for (if you didn't give up first)?
Solution: Don't test the patience of your visitors. Make sure that everything can
be found on your site within 3 clicks or less.
18. No Privacy Policy
Problem: No Privacy Policy page is listed on a website.
Solution: Post a Privacy Policy on your website. Make sure that your customers
know that you will not share their addresses with anyone.
19. No Company Contact Information
Problem: A company with no address or contact information is not one you
necessarily want to give your money to.
Solution: Email addresses or phone numbers are most often seen as contact
information on websites, however, having a physical mailing address on your
web site adds another key credibility factor.
20. Using Free Web Hosting
Problem: You visit a web page that has a name so long you'll never remember
it because it is from one of those free website hosts.
Solution: If you want your Internet business to be taken seriously avoid using
free web hosting. This all adds to the issue of credibility.
21. Using Free E-mail Addresses
Problem: You visit a website and try to send an email to them, however the
email addresses are not associated with the domain name.
Solution: Using a free email address, such as Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail, is never
appropriate for your website. On your website, always use an email addresses
associated with your own business domain name.
22. Advertisements
Problem: You've come to a website where the pages are cluttered with a lot of
different advertisements.
Solution: A lot of people are using advertisements to earn extra money. That's
fine, just don't overdo it.
23. Bad Images
Problem: How many times have you seen a web page with missing graphics
files or misshaped images?
Solution: Always optimize your images and use the height and width attributes
of the image tag. Additionally, save the files in the right image formats: JPG for
Photographs and GIF for artwork.
24. This Website Best Viewed on...
Problem: This is often seen on many beginner websites.
Solution: Simply don't use this on your website.
25. No Prices
Problem: Websites that don't have product prices listed clearly.
Solution: If you're selling a product on your website, ALWAYS include a price
with the item description.
And here's a list of things that you should just avoid, or should not forget,
simply because it's the right thing to do, website design-wise. And here they
are:
AVOID: Frames, Hit counters, Orphan pages, Anything "Cutesy", Pop ups,
Fancy Fonts, Don't overuse Flash, Avoid Javascript links, Blinking text ,
Animated GIFs, Missing Meta Tags, Horizontal (sideways) Scrolling, Don't
underline or color normal text, Don't forget functional links on your footer,
Don't forget about your Marketing Strategies, Don't forget to include anchor text
on your links, Never subscribe a visitor for anything without his consent, Don't
leave the home page title as "Welcome to Mysite.com", Avoid using all the
"Bells And Whistles" simply because you can, Not Taking Advantage of SEO
(Search Engine Optimization) on your website
Whether you have created your own website or are working with someone else
on creating your website, I hope all these ideas above will help you build a
better website that steadily attracts visitors. If you've never built a website
on your own, I hope the tips above help you design the best site that you can
and help you to avoid all these issues in the future. Knowledge is critical.
About the author: Debbie Ray, is owner of Pedigree Pups.com , The Website Doctor ,
Pedigree Dogs and Total German Shepherd. She is a lifelong animal lover, dog enthusiast
and Internet business owner.
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