What not to do when designing a website, part 6…

Let’s be honest; the famous remark from A Field of Dreams isn’t entirely accurate. Attracting an audience takes more than just putting something in place. Someone likely constructed the old, dilapidated historical mansion, although few people go there nowadays. People are looking for a personalized online space. They want it aesthetically pleasing, modern, easy to understand, and straightforward to navigate. This, however, is not a field in which everyone finds success. Unfortunately, some of the causes of failure are trivial, if not inconsequential. Six common mistakes in web design are described below, along with easy solutions to these problems.

Having a sloppy copy first. You can’t just throw words onto a page and expect customers to part with their hard-earned cash, despite what you may have read in the most recent free e-Book. The search for information, and not just the same material repeatedly, is a significant motivation for internet use.

The solution is to ensure your material is original, engaging, and error-free. If you provide less than that, your visitors will go elsewhere. A plethora of resources are available online for locating high-quality literature, and occasionally you can even obtain original copies for a reasonable price. You could also try offering free advertising space in return for articles written by a freelance writer. Because you can get identical terms from various internet sources, avoiding using free content from a mass-produced website is best. To keep your visitors coming back, you need to provide them with something they can’t get anyplace else. If not, they will go elsewhere to get what they need.

Second, ignoring the value of META tags. Even though we’re all aware of the importance of meta-tags, we don’t always make the most of them. Meta-tags serve as a form of free advertising that is just as useful to potential visitors as to site designers.

Maybe you sell what I’m looking for or have access to a group or publication that does. However, we cannot start any trade (commercial or otherwise) if I cannot locate you. Since most visitors find websites through a search engine, using titles and meta-tag keywords will guarantee the beginning of a perfect relationship.

The solution is to put yourself in the shoes of your target audience rather than those of a web designer when crafting your title and selecting relevant keywords. The title is the first thing people clicking through from a search engine will see on your page. It must be concise, engaging, and detailed.

What you’ve described The meta-tags you use should restate the information in your title with a slightly different spin and a few extra words. To avoid having your reader’s attention interrupted in the middle of your description, try to keep it to 125 characters or fewer. If possible, in the initial line of the report, ask a question that the visitor was probably wondering about before they started looking for it. To generate your list of keywords, follow the same procedure. Inspect each term on your list with the question, “Is this a keyword used by someone who is a potential customer?” Not including them would waste time if the answer is no.

Misinformation, broken links, and “under construction” signs are all signs of an outdated website. Nothing is more annoying than trawling through obsolete web content while looking for up-to-date data. Or you can be led astray when you click on a link hoping to find the solution to your problem, only to see that “This Page Cannot Be Displayed” or the domain name is for sale.

The “Page Under Construction” or “Coming Soon” messages are less frustrating. Don’t send your visitor into blind alleys if a particular feature is developing.

Make time at least once a month to check your website for out-of-date content and broken links. You can ask site visitors to report broken links or out-of-date content by adding a link. Avoid telling visitors that your site is “Under Construction” by informing them of the upgrades and enhancements they can expect to see soon. They’ll be relieved to discover this instead of having their dreams dashed after clicking a link promising them access to highly anticipated content only to be told it is still in development.

4. Information is buried and difficult to find. Why any website wouldn’t make it simple for visitors to contact the site’s administrators is beyond comprehension. By providing this little data, you will accomplish the following goals: a. Motivate individuals to contact you for permission before utilizing your content or images without your consent.
Make it simpler for potential promotional partners to contact you in b. You never know when an interview request, contract negotiation, or even a new business connection will come in handy.
c) Make it easy for customers to contact you and your business even when they can’t access the internet. You may make it easy for them to get you by giving them your phone number, postal address, and other contact information.

The answer is a “Contact Us” page with a link to your website. Email addresses, phone numbers, names, postal addresses, and (if applicable) driving directions should all be included.

5. Keeping the same color for a visited link. This may not seem significant, but it has plagued online traffic for years. According to the New York Times, “guru of Web page usability,” Dr. Jakob Nielsen says so.

Changing the color of links helps site users track what they’ve seen and still have to explore. This is crucial if your site is vast and you frequently add new pages.

The HTML code for the fix is quite elementary: Put the color name or regulation within the “link” tag and place it inside the body tag. Here is an example of the HTML for a visited link with blue text:

or

Simply substitute the desired shade with the designated code or name. You can stop right there. It is that easy.

Make sure your website highlights your unique selling proposition. Your company’s U.S.P., or Unique Selling Proposition, is that one (or more) thing that it does (or doesn’t do) or has (or doesn’t have) that makes it stand out from the crowd. It’s what keeps customers coming back over time.

Not providing any information about your business’s products, services, staff, etc., is also a big Web design no-no. You have control over this website. Don’t be shy about putting your best foot forward since no one else can do it.

Try to examine your website with fresh eyes, unclouded by canceled orders, repeated interruptions, or anything else that might distract you from seeing what needs to be seen. Consider your website a tool your customers will use by putting yourself in their shoes. Consider the question, “Why would I, as a customer, be here?” Keep track of these solutions and any others that are mentioned.

Make an “about us” page with company announcements, press releases, staff profiles, etc. Customers will always value honesty in the long term. And here’s a secret: they’re perfectly content to be led around. They count on it, to be sure.

You’ll observe that I avoided discussing the order. Alternatively, trailers with icons flash, move, or magically glitter. Also, websites that use free hosting. That’s because the vast majority of people have already beaten those topics into submission. But that shouldn’t permit you to ignore them. They aren’t the underhandedly revived Capris. If it would lead you to frown, toss your head in annoyance, get up and walk away from the computer, or have any other adverse reaction, it’s probably best to say no. Use some self-control. Instead of trying to figure it out independently, hiring a pro is probably best. An expert in web design can make or break your company regarding consumer satisfaction.

Do you feel like your website could use some new, original content, but you don’t have the budget right now? If you’d like to trade free goods and services for Jennifer Gibbs’ (a 5-star freelance professional from South Georgia) exclusive material, she’d be pleased to do so. Email arimark@friendlycity.net with any questions (including the address of your website, if you have one).

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