Web Design Blunders That Can Cost You Lost Profits

It's hard enough to bring people to your little corner of
cyberspace, and once they're there, you have just a few
brief seconds to catch their attention. A simple click-of-
the-mouse and your site visitor is gone!

Keep as many interested prospects on your site by avoiding
these blunders:

__Multiple Popup and Popunder Windows.

Many online business owners swear by the effectiveness of
popups and popunders for getting more subscribers, making
sales, or generating leads.

At the same time, a large percentage of users claim to
dislike popups and popunders. And it's no wonder; many
of us have been 'held hostage' by popups that spawn even
more popups when you try to close them, until your screen
is filled with windows and you're completely frustrated.
Most people simply do NOT appreciate multiple popups or
popunders!

If you choose to use them, try for a 'happy medium' -- a
window that appears only once upon entry or exit. One such
script is available fr*e at DesignerIndex,
http://www.designerindex.com/Free_Tools/popupwindow.shtml .

__Unreadable Text.

Certain formats are easier to read than others. For
example, it's generally accepted that black text on a
white background is the easiest to read. The reverse --
light text on a colored background -- can cause fatigue
when reading large blocks of text, and is better used to
highlight a portion of the page.

Similarly, text that is too small can cause problems.
Although it's possible to change the displayed text size
on a browser, many Internet users don't know how.

__Confusing Navigation.

Ever been to a site where it's hard to get around? It's
just as easy to leave and go instead to a competitor's
site. Make your navigation clear and simple.

__Trapping Visitors In Your Frames.

Improperly designed frames can leave your visitor 'trapped'
on your site, unable to use the 'back' button on their
browsers to leave. You can bet they'll never be back if
you try to force them to stay! BigNoseBird.com has a nice
little tutorial on how to get the 'Frames look' without
actually using them. Read it at
http://bignosebird.com/k3.shtml .

__Broken ordering links!

It sounds silly... heck, it *is* silly. Check your order
links regularly to ensure that they still work. Enough
said.

__Splash pages.

You only have a few seconds to catch your visitor's
attention. A big showy graphic that serves no real
purpose is an easy way to lose your visitor --
particularly if they're forced to wait for it to load!

__Flash animation.

Flash movies are commonly used on websites these days.
However, to view them often requires users to download a
plug-in, if they don't already have it. It can chew up your
machine's resources and make it darn near impossible to get
out - even a 'Skip Intro' link is hard to click on if your
computer is too involved with Flash! Plus the load time
can be far too long for those without high-speed Internet
connections.

Of course there are legitimate reasons to use Flash. But
if you use it make sure visitors have the OPTION to view
it. A couple of suggestions are:

* Put two links on your entry page: one to view the site
using Flash, the other to view it without Flash.

* Move your Flash movies deeper within your site. If your
visitor wants to view them, they can simply click on a
link.

__'Forced' disclosure of personal information.

You may have seen sites that ask you to enter an email
address, a name, or other personal information before
you're allowed to 'enter' the site. Again, this is an
easy way to lose a visitor! Without knowing anything
about a site, what reason does the visitor have to give
up personal details?

Give your visitors the option to sign up for your
newsletter, product updates, etc. But let them into
your site first. If they like what they see, they'll
willingly provide you with contact information. This
helps *you* too, by 'pre-screening' the people on your
list to help ensure that it contains only interested
prospects and not just people who were 'looking around'.

__S-l-o-o-o-w loading pages.

Huge graphics and HTML errors are just a couple of
things that can affect the load time of your web pages.
Many HTML editors will check your code for errors, or
use NetMechanic's HTML Toolbox: http://netmechanic.com/ .
NetMechanic also offers a free tool to help minimize
the size of your graphics.

__General 'unprofessional' look-and-feel.

A few of the more commonly seen design problems include:
spelling mistakes; bright/clashing colors (or too many
colors); too many fonts; a sloppy or disorganized look;
too many banners or graphics blinking, flashing, dancing,
or beckoning from the screen; lots of broken links; and
horizontal scroll bars.

Creating a web page is easy. Creating a *good* web page,
however, takes a little more thought. A clean, well-
designed site is worth the effort. Your bottom line will
thank you!