January 2011

The 5 Biggest Mistakes in Website Design

Your website is likely one of the best communication tools at your disposal, and recognizing that you want to use it to your greatest advantage, you should consider redesigning it on a regular basis — at least once every couple of years. But when it comes time to undertake that redesign, there are some pitfalls you'll want to avoid.

1. Categorizing content according to internal departments
Remember people visit websites to find information. But if the information they want is categorized in a way that's obvious only to the owner of the site, visitors will come away without any real knowledge of what it is you have to offer. Try to think as if you are a visitor to the site. Consider what knowledge visitors will already have when they come to your site, and what additional information they will be seeking. When you do this, you'll determine the best way to categorize content.

2. Creating a site entirely in Flash
Unless you are in the entertainment niche, there is no reason for your site to be entirely built in Flash. Search engines are doing a lot better at indexing content within flash files, but the links to the site are links to the swf file (the Flash file itself), not to a specific page. In some cases, overusing Flash can turn a site into a communication barrier since currently, iPhone and iPad users are not able to view it. While Flash is an excellent way to jazz up your site, overuse of it can be a big negative to your users due to problems with printing, bookmarking, load times and more. Use Flash in small chunks to get the best of both worlds.

3. Too much content on the home page
White space. It's a design principle that most people have no trouble remembering when designing print pieces. But when it comes to websites, look out! Apparently, many people believe that no amount of content is too much for a home page. Copy, links to other sites, links to articles, old company press releases, etc. fill many a home page and are a turnoff to site visitors. In addition, all that "stuff" can distract from the message you're trying to convey. It isn't necessary to say everything you know on your home page. There are additional pages on your site that can be a home to some of that content. And let's face it: Some of the content may not belong anywhere on your site. To combat content overload, limit your copy and make white space your friend. For instance, establish a rule that no more than four article links will show up in the news section.

4. Lack of hierarchy
If you think about some sites that you've visited - sites that produced an immediate assault on your senses - you'll likely realize that those sites were unclear as to where the reader should go to find information. Lack of organization and a look that portrays disarray virtually guarantee that visitors will bolt to other sites that are cleaner and more logically structured.

5. Failing to have clear goals and measure conversions
No matter what your reason for redesigning your website, make sure you are clear as to what it is. Get to the core of your goals and what you expect the redesign to do for you in both the short- and long-run.

Once you've clarified your goals, make sure you measure your site's conversions. For example, if your goal is to drive users to sign up for a webinar, be sure you set up multiple paths for users to get to the sign-up page. Then track your website statistics to determine how many users followed which of those paths and which ones garnered the best outcome. You should then tweak your site and measure how those tweaks affect the outcome.

By keeping these five common mistakes in mind at all times, your website will be clean-looking, well-structured, solution-oriented and viewable by all visitors.

I'd love to assist with planning your next redesign. For a free consultation give me a call at 847.844.8640 or send me an email: sharon@bendingdesign.com.

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