TOP SEVEN MISTAKES IN WEB SITE
DESIGN
Maintaining your site is an on-going
process, not only should you continually update your listing with search engines but you
should also make the appropriate revisions to your site which include design updates.
The following tips should help you create a site to be enjoyed by
all your visitors.
Try Not to Use Frames- Many people (especially large corporations)
seem to think that frames are the answer to all their Web site navigation issues.
Unfortunately, they cause more problems than they solve. Your visitors can't bookmark a
page which uses frames, nor can you track where they are going.
Don't Use Your Site to Showcase the Newest Web Technology- Once
again this can be problematic to your visitors, if their browser or computer does not
support this new technology you will only lose them forever.
Avoid Complex URLs- Studies have shown that people try to determine
the structure of a Web site by the URL. Users often have to type the URL in so try to make
it as intuitive as possible by using short names in lower case characters.
Provide a Site Map- Often sites are created on the Web without a
clear sense of how all the components of the site work together. A lack of clear
organization of a Web site will only lead to frustrated visitors to your site.
Avoid Non Standard Link Colors- One of the only constants among all
Web browsers is that links to pages users have not yet seen are blue, and links to
previously viewed pages are purple or red. By changing this color you risk confusing your
visitors.
Remove Outdated Information-The most appealing aspect of the Web is
that the information on it can change rapidly and sometimes dynamically. One of the most
frustrating things I find when surfing the Web is when a site has not been updated.
Updating your site is well worth the time spent.
Avoid Long Load Times-You are probably reading this,
thinking, "I already knew that." Well, until all sites load in an acceptable
time (which, by our standards, is less than 30 seconds, and that's being generous) this
will continue to be the largest problem facing the Web. People simply aren't willing to
wait more than 30 seconds for a site to load before they move on to the next one.
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