The 10 Most Common Web Design Mistakes

ZekeLL

After redesigning over 100 websites I now
have a pretty good idea about the most common web design mistakes.


If your site is making some of these
mistakes, fix them now! Otherwise, you are leaving money on the table every
single day.



Bad
Layout






Your navigation and layout have to be simple,
obvious, and intuitive. If you expect your visitors to figure out how to get to
where they want to go, prepare for them to leave. Don’t make them think, make
it obvious for them. Forget about “cool” navigation. Make it simple and
elegant.



Slow
Websites

Keep your website light so it loads fast. There is
nothing more annoying than those “Loading… 1%” messages. People don’t want to
wait. Studies show that if a website takes more than 8 seconds to load, 21% of
your visitors will leave and if it takes more than 20 seconds to load, 43% of
your visitors will be gone! This is a tragedy. There are ways to achieve
excellent designs that are also very light.



Bad
Colors Choice

Most web designers are not professional graphic
designers. They never learned what colors work well together and most
importantly, what different colors mean. Make sure your website uses the right
colors for your market and it is not hard on your visitors’ eyes.



Bad
Music Selection

In most cases I am against music at all. I am
talking about music that auto-plays (background music). A lot of people will
visit your website from work and they don’t want annoying music popping up. Music
also makes websites slow to load. If you decide that you want to have music on
your website, choose the right one for your audience.



Under
Construction Pages

What is the purpose of “Coming Soon” pages? This
looks really unprofessional. Just don’t have them at all! Who wants to read an
“Under Construction” message? If you want to generate curiosity about a section
that you will be adding soon, have some teaser copy and possibly a list-building
box: “Sign Up to Be Notified When We Release this Feature”.



Information
is Hard to Find

This happens very often with your phone number and
email address. Let’s say you own a restaurant. Most people visit your website
to get your phone number and make a reservation. Put your number at the very
top and make it huge!



Ads
on Commercial Websites

If your website is supported by advertising,
displaying ads is your business. But if your main stream of income is not
advertising, get rid of ads. They look really unprofessional and they make you
look needy.



Low-Resolution
Images

There is nothing that makes me angrier than web
designers who use low-resolution images. They look terrible! There are ways to
optimize images so they are both light and visually appealing.



Splash
Screens

Don’t waste your visitors’ time. They are on your
website to learn about your company and services, not to see how talented your
graphic designer is and the cool animations he can do for you. Don’t force them
to take an extra step. They want information. Give it to them.




Passive Marketing

Your website is an excellent opportunity to tell
prospects why your company is better than the competition, why they should buy
from you, and ask them to take action. Be proactive.












If you enjoyed this article, visit my blog
at www.TheOutsourcingCompany.com/blog
for more great tips on entrepreneurship and online marketing.


ZekeLL12/4/2008 2:50 PM

ZekeLL

Thank you Eric!