13 Website Design Mistakes You Should Avoid
There are heaps of lists online that are about the top 10 most common mistakes of web design. These lists are all very similar. Don’t you ever think to yourself: “Geez, there MUST be more than 10 errors that people make when it comes to web design!” Let me tell you, there are WAY more than 10 mistakes that people make on their website design. I thought of over thirty web design mistakes within about half an hour. That was without even researching on the internet!
Just to be different, I have put together a list of thirteen web design mistakes that a lot of people make. Now, the majority of these will apply to all kinds of websites.
Mistake # 1 – Have a Mysterious/Cryptic Webpage.
Wrong. While it is good to create a sense of mystery, you need to keep in mind that the user MUST know what your website is about within a few seconds. If they can’t work out WHAT your site is about, you will lose their attention and they will probably head to another website.
Mistake # 2 – Use Large Blocks of Text.
No! In this day and age, you need to be able to make your websites content scannable. A lot of people want information faster and if they can scan through the document for a particular word, or phrase to get their information quicker, you will find that you will keep people on your site longer than if they had to manually scan through your content and read all of the irrelevant stuff. Make it easier for them to filter through what they need.
Mistake # 3 – Use Tiny Fonts.
Don’t make this mistake… Yes, a lot of the internet browsers today have features on there so you can zoom in on content. You want to make the content easy to read. Further to the last mistake, you want to keep the users comfortable and stress free. No matter how good the content might be, if someone has to fiddle around and make adjustments, they probably won’t be too fond of bookmarking your website.
Mistake # 4 – Resize the Browser Window.
Why not? It will get your user’s attention, won’t it? Yes, but it will probably ANNOY them more than anything. Often what happens when smaller browsers pop up, we think “Oh no, it’s an Ad, have I got a virus, why is this popping up?” If you start messing with the browser size, you might just lose a bit of credibility.
Mistake # 5 – Request the User to Register or Sign Up. Unless you can offer some AWESOME content or something of VALUE, don’t force people to register their details with you, before they can access the information you have. People use the Internet to find information, not leave theirs! As nice as it would be to get each of your visitor’s email address, don’t make this possibly fatal website design mistake.
Mistake # 6 – Play Music on Your Websites. Back in the early years of the Internet, you found that a lot of web designers or web developers would always TRY to incorporate music into websites. Usually, they failed miserably or it made a website really SLOW and not very user friendly. So, unless you REALLY know what you are doing, don’t use music in your web design.
Mistake # 7 – Parade Your Website with Badges! How great do they look?
Not! While it is good to have your own networks and communities that you are active in, but having them on your websites home page, cluttering up VITAL space, is a BIG no-no. Having your home page all cluttered up with links to your Facebook or Twitter page can be a tad unprofessional. It is best to put all of these badges and links on your “About Us” page.
Mistake # 8 – Forgetting to Include Your Contact Details. Now, there is nothing worse than a website that has no contact details. Forgetting to include a contact email, number or address on your website will look REALLY bad for your business, it will probably set a few alarm bells off for some potential customers. Failing to include this VITAL information will detriment your service too, just think of how much feedback (both positive and negative) you will miss out on, not to mention the sales you will miss out on!
Mistake # 9 – Disable the “Back” Button. Yes, as much as you would like to think that this is a good idea, ensuring that you do NOT disable the “Back” button is a very basic principle of usability. If your website opens up into a new browser window, the “Back” button has been disabled. Some JavaScript links could also affect the “Back” button.
Remember: Do not disable the “Back” button under ANY circumstance.
Mistake # 10 – Having an Unclear Navigation Structure. Remember that sometimes less is more. You don’t want to confuse the user as to where they should be looking for the information they want. That’s the last thing you want to do. Make sure that your website has a SINGLE and CLEAR navigation structure. This will be sure to keep your users happy.
Mistake # 11 – Using “Intros”. There is nothing more ANNOYING than having to sit through a BORING video or read through something before you can access the information. The ONLY way people will sit through something like that is when there is something REALLY good on offer… something that is worth sitting through the painful intro for.
Mistake # 12 – Setting up a Website for One Browser. Yes, you may use Internet Explorer, and everyone you know might use Internet Explorer… but remember, not EVERYONE uses the same browser. You need to ensure that your website can be viewed on all internet browsers, because not all browsers are equal. Not all internet browsers can interpret CSS or other languages the same way yours does. So, like it or not, you need to make sure that your website is compatible with the most used browsers on the market; or else you will lose a lot of readers over time.
Mistake # 13 – Forget Anchor Text! No… don’t forget to include anchor text on any link that you have on your website. I know it is a LOT easier to simply tell people to “Click Here”, but these days’ if you don’t include anchor text (that tells the reader EXACTLY where they will go to if the click on the link), people may be reluctant to click the links. Including anchor text on your links will also help to create SEO benefits for the external site where the link is pointing.