Standard Web Design Boo-Boos To Be Aware Of

Long Paragraphs As web surfers lack long attention spans, they tend to dislike sitting on a computer reading long texts. The reading experience on websites will be more enjoyable if short paragraphs, headlines, and bullet points are utilized. Music on Websites A popular gimmick in the mid-90′s, these days it is considered amateurish for a site to load with music that cannot be turned off. Since people often surf the web while at their job, watching television, or listening to music of their own, sites that have music that automatically loads may be less appealing.

Flashing Text and Graphics Flashing text and graphics are also remnants of the 1990s. Inexperienced web designers might be proud of their animation abilities; however, this actually gives the site a very amateurish appearance. In addition, ads featuring animation often distract viewers and compel them to navigate away from your website.

Colored fonts can make reading especially difficult, if a web designer chooses to use a dark font on a dark background, or a light font on a light background. New Browser Windows Users get irritated when a new browser window pops up for every page on a website. Users do not need ten windows to open up when they begin browsing the site. You should only have new windows open when links take the user to an external site.

Doorway Pages Sometimes doorway pages are utilized for dishonest SEO tactics referred to as blackhat SEO, other times they are used by those who want to showcase their skills in Flash design. Doorway pages don’t give the user any additional value, but rather just add another step prior to reaching the site. Most often, you should not utilize doorway pages at all. Undisclosed PDF Files Particularly for marketing purposes, PDF files can be an excellent tool on a website, however, there should be a written warning for users so that they are aware that they are going to click on a link to a PDF file. Since PDF files can often cause the computer to freeze, you should let users know that this will happen before they click on it.

Illegible CAPTHA’s While CAPTCHA’s are a necessity these days to prevent spam, sometimes they are practically impossible to decipher. CAPTCHA’s can make the average website user frustrated. Getting a professional’s feedback, and steering clear of the web design mistakes we have discussed, can avoid an ugly website from being designed.

Stephen Grisham, Sr. is a professional writer for InfoServe Media, LLC. If you are looking for web design in Houston, or if you just need a few changes to an existing site, InfoServe Media also offers website maintenance.