Web Design Mistakes

NOT THINKING ABOUT THE VISITORS NEEDS -many worry only about the design of a website and
Too many web designers are too concerned aboutmaking it look good. Depending on the nature of the
how they want their website to look and not whatsite, the text can be just as important. It gives
the visitors will appreciate. You need to provide thevisitors the information they are seeking and this is
information that the visitor's expect, otherwise youoften the real purpose of the site. It is amazing how
will loose them. It is therefore important to researchmany websites are grammatically poor.
your visitor's needs and expectations.OVERUSING FLASH - A fancy flash graphic is really
POOR NAVIGATION - Navigation should bewhat people are visiting your site for. Flash may look
consistent throughout, and is an important part ofgood, but seeing it as they reach your site is not
the visitor experience. The most important pagesgoing to make visitors stay; it is more likely that they
should be one click away at all times, while ideally nowill be turned away. If visitors have to wait for a
page should be more than three clicks away fromflash graphic to finish they may leave the site,
any other. Having a navigation bar at the top or sideespecially if on a splash page. Splash pages are rarely
of the website that is the same across all pages isuseful to visitors, and often just the designer looking
recommended.to show off. This is not what the website is for.
LARGE IMAGES - Large images can take a long timeUNDER THINKING OR OVER THINKING SEO - You
to load. Not only that, but they result in the wholedo not want to design the website purely for SEO
webpage loading slowly. This frustrates visitors aspurposes. Doing this means it won't be built for the
they want the page to appear as quickly as possiblebenefit of your visitors, but for the benefits of the
and get on with it. This also applies to video andsearch engines. Text needs to make sense to the
other large media files.visitor not just be written for SEO. It doesn't matter
NOT HAVING EASY TO READ TEXT - This soundshow high you appear in the search engines, if your
simple but is something many get wrong; your textvisitors never stay on the site and it never gets you
needs to be easy to read. It is no good having lotsany business. However, it doesn't matter how
of informal text if your visitors struggle to read it.impressive or useful the site is if people can't find it,
You need the right contrast in colour between theso SEO does need to be considered.
text and the background. If you wish to have aTOO MANY ADVERTS - You may want adverts to
background image it is important to consider thisgenerate some extra income, but remember this isn't
carefully. Detailed images behind text can causethe main purpose of the site. For business sites it
difficulties for the reader.would be recommended that there are no adverts,
TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE TEXT - Either toobut if you do choose to have them make sure they
much or too little text can work against you. If youdo not take over. If they feel the website has been
have too much it can be complex reading, especiallytaken over by adverts, visitors will look to your
if you are going into much more detail thancompetitors instead. They will be visiting the site
necessary. Visitors may just give up and leave. Morelooking for your products, services or information,
of a common mistake is not having enough text. Thenot to be taken elsewhere via adverts.
problem here is two fold. Firstly, it doesn't give yourLACK OF CONSITANCY - Some web designers do
visitors (and potential customers) enough informationnot think about consistency and design each page
on your products or service, and secondly it is badwith an individual feel. Although the content of your
for SEO purposes.site should differ throughout, the look and design
NOT THINKING ABOUT THE TEXT CONTENT - Tooshould be consistent all the way through.