Common Website Design Mistakes

• The Home page fails to identify its contents and its relevance to the reader.
• The web pages contain long words, long sentences, or long paragraphs making the text difficult to read and understand.
• Stale content that never changes.
• Obsolete or outdated articles, price sheets and other information.
• Poor spelling, grammar or punctuation.
• Website graphics take too long to download.
• Poor image quality. Pictures aren’t clear or look amateurish.
• Incompatibility. Your site won’t work on all browsers or needs special plug-ins.
• Confusing navigation or lack of navigation.
• No clear message or purpose. Visitors can’t easily determine what a website is all about.
• Sensory overload. Too many bells and whistles including: flashing graphics, audio clips, animations, numerous type styles, busy background patterns, and inappropriate use of Flash.
• Inconsistent style. The visual scheme of your website should be consistent throughout all pages.
• Being pushy! The website forces visitors to register or provide personal information when not necessary.
• Broken links will reduce the credibility of any website.
• No specific person is assigned to oversee web site maintenance.
• Website is not scalable. Preparation has not been made so navigation buttons can be added to meet future needs. Web pages or other content cannot easily be added or removed.
• The text fails to ask for the order or demand some action at the end.
• The contents are not organized sequentially so as to deliver an effective sales message that will involve and persuade the reader.
• The design does not include line illustrations and charts, or other graphic elements necessary to clarify and reinforce the descriptive text.
• Photographs are too small, too large, washed out, or dark and blotchy.
• Text is set in typefaces that are too small, too bold or too light, too masculine or feminine, too whimsical, too cute, or too powerful.
• Typeset line length is too long for good readability.
• The text uses buzz words and jargon.
• Headlines are not set in type large enough and bold enough to provide good contrast with the text type.
• Headlines are not written so the reader will get the gist of the message quickly by reading just the headline.
• Insufficient contrast between text type and the background area of the web page such as red print on a green background.
• Not enough contrast between colors used (dark and light balance).
• Too many colors used indiscriminately with no attempt to balance them on the layout.
• Insufficient white space inside the layout making it easier to read.
• Information is unclear (or missing) as to how or where to get additional information or order the product or service.
• Sales related content does not include an offer that is convenient for the buyer, such as a 30-day free trial, credit card acceptance, etc.
• Fail to measure results by utilizing Google Analytics to se e the traffic demographics of your web site.

Take you website design to the Next Level!
An online presence takes more than pretty pictures and words on a website. It is an essential business and marketing tool that establishes a relationship and dialogue with consumers and clients.

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