Web design mistakes to be avoided by developers

Written by AJSPM on November 25th, 2009

The main point to be noted by developers is that the functionality of a website is equally important as the way it looks. An annoyed visitor is never going to get back to the website. Cincinnati Website Design provides complete solutions for a good website. Let us look at some common mistakes that need to be avoided by developers.

1. 1. Make sure that the website fits the screen size of 1024×768 pixels which is widely accepted nowadays. While vertical scrolling to a certain amount is fine, horizontal scrolling is a definite reject.
2. Avoid long pages. The reader should be able to comprehend the information that is being thrown at them.
3. No spelling or grammatical mistakes in the copy. The company is projected through this website and we don’t want readers to find mistakes on the face of the company.
4. Avoid JavaScript links because the user often is at the receiving end of problems created by JavaScript links.
5. Include functional links on your footer: People usually scroll down to the end (footer) of a website if they don’t find specific information. Provide straightforward links like home, back to top, contact information etc.
6. Make sure to use the ALT and TITLE attributes for images. This provides simple direct information apart from SEO benefits.
7. Do not cloak links: apart from having a clear anchor text, the user must also be able to see where the link is pointing on the status bar of his browser. If you cloak your links (either because they are affiliate ones or due to other reasons) your site will lose credibility.
8. Do not resize the user’s browser windows. Allow the user to have full control of his browser.
9. Do not ask for a registration unless it is necessary for your product. Most people are scanning through the internet and do not have the time or mind space to register. Never subscribe the visitor automatically without their consent.

10.  Make sure to include a relevant anchor text on your links. It will tell the reader where he is going to if he clicks the link, apart from creating SEO benefits for the external site.

11.  The website has to be browser compatible. Different browsers work differently. Ensure that your website works uniformly well.

12. Make sure users can search the whole website

13.  If a PDF document is linked to the website inform the user about it. It gets quite annoying to wait for the file to load in adobe reader.

14.  Use text navigation. Make sure the main links are visible easily. Use a simple navigation structure that is clear and easy to use.

15.  A simple, keyword-based URL structure will improve your search engine rankings and make it easier for the reader to identify the content of your pages before visiting them. This aspect is very well tackled by Cincinnati Website Design.

16.  CSS is faster, more reliable and offers many more features. Try using CSS pages instead of html.

17.  Do not open new browser windows. These almost always irritate visitors. This leads to quickly losing their attention.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 2:48 pm and is filed under Web Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.