Dont Make Your Website User-UNfriendly!
Web Design is a very subjective process. Your idea of what looks good may differ from the next person's. While wild backgrounds and flashing text were once considered 'cool', unwritten standards have evolved into every web designers inventory. In the following examples I intend to convey a few of those user-unfriendly examples to you. My purpose is only to get you thinking about the layout and performance of your website. If you have one of these examples on your site, and you like it, by all means - leave it there! These are just examples. 1. Page CountersFive years ago, every site had a page counter. They proudly displayed how popular a site had become. The problem is, as many site owners started to find out, is that these counters can be easily manipulated. They can start at any number (not just 1), and they can produce vastly over-inflated numbers. On the other hand, if your site is not a high-traffic area, do you really want customers to know that? 2. Javascript Text ScrollingI remember when this first came out. In fact, I had it on my home page. Do you remember visiting a website and all the scrolling text across the bottom? These were usually put in your status bar along the bottom edge of your browser window. They have become a big no-no in web design. Users like to see their status bar, or, if they don't, they turn it off. Either way, this is a useless tool. 3. Excessive Animated .GIF'sIn the mid 90's when the Internet boom hit, everyone was getting a home page. Sites and ISP's would give you FREE space to put up your information. Soon, webmaster wannabe's everywhere were over populating the web with crazy animations and bright (obnoxious!) colors. Today very few sites use these files. They are now considered a waste of bandwidth. Since most companies pay for their hosting by how much bandwidth is used, animated GIF's went by the wayside. 4. Under Construction SignsThere used to be (and probably still are) pages and pages of different 'under construction' graphics for webmasters to use. Why is this a problem? Well, isn't the Internet just a big construction site anyway? Are you and your friends, clients, and other businesses constantly updating and upgrading their information online? It also conveys a sense of incompleteness. No business wants their customers to think they are running on a low budget or producing an incomplete website. The construction graphic is extinct! 5. Page FadesWe've all seen those fancy pages that fade in and out, from circles to spirals and even window-shades. They fall in the category with the scrolling text - obsolete! Most Internet users are looking for INFORMATION, not fancy graphics and page transitions. Will Hanke is owner of Lighthouse Technologies, http://www.techlh.com a web design, programming and hosting company. He is also author of several software applications in use by companies across the US.
MORE RESOURCES: Redesigned Adrian College website receives bronze award in national competition - The Daily Telegram “Mobile First” as a Standard: Techysquad Redefines Web Accessibility and Responsiveness Finance Magnates Trying to locate text - PHP SitePoint Small Business Website Design Tips - Marketing Business.com Web Designer – Full-Time | Dynamic Digital Design Role jobs.pedestrian.tv Wix Partners Can Now Sell Templates in Wix Marketplace Search Engine Journal Website Design Competition - MCWT Michigan Council of Women in Technology Abby Hamilton | Web Design and Content Marketing Crescent Vale Best web design software in 2024 TechRadar Why (and How) I Learned Web Development as a Data Scientist Towards Data Science Moving Your Website into the Web Design System (WDS) Washington State University 25 Awesome About Us Page Examples For Web Design Inspiration Search Engine Journal 33 Best Web Design Companies 2024 Built In Are you up to build the next best website? Get started with one of these 5 web design courses Fortune Top Web Design Trends 2024 Designmodo BFA in Art - Graphic Design | Undergraduate Programs | Visual TWU Texas Woman's University 9 Chicago Web Design and Development Agencies To Know Built In Chicago Jeremy McGilvrey, A Houston Web Design Agency, Inks Long-Term Lease In Prestigious Williams Tower Office Space Yahoo Finance Jessica Sorden's Transformation from Corporate Burnout to Web Design Maestro - by Carly Winchell The Ark Valley Voice Why isn't Adobe doing web design better? Creative Bloq Information technology students delve into web design with capstone project University of Missouri College of Engineering How to design a website: A beginner's guide CNN Underscored Valve and Picnik vets Hatch new idea — a no-code web design platform for 'tech curious creators' GeekWire Valpo Web Design supports NWI No Child Hungry in fight against food insecurity with new website Valpo.Life 6 ways AI is changing web design Creative Bloq 10 Website Design Secrets to Know Before You Build a Site AllBusiness.com 5 seriously useful AI web design tools Creative Bloq Valpo Web Design & Marketing | Partners Valpo.Life Design Studies (Minor) | College of Liberal Arts UNH's College of Liberal Arts Best web development tool of 2024 TechRadar The best free blog websites Creative Bloq How web design trends have evolved Creative Bloq Mizzou alumna uses web design expertise to give back to engineering, community University of Missouri College of Engineering How Google perfected the web The Verge In LGBTQ rights case, Supreme Court rules for wedding website designer The Washington Post Web Page Design II Alaska Housing Finance Corporation How far does Supreme Court decision on web design for gay couples reach in Minnesota? - Star Tribune Revolutionizing Web Presence: Webness Studios Launch Specialist Website Design Services InvestorsObserver U.S. Supreme Court: First Amendment Entitled ‘Expressive’ Web Designer to Refuse Service to Same-Sex Couples jacksonlewis.com |
RELATED ARTICLES
Why You Should Use CSS It seems more and more webmasters are using CSS for the design and layout of their sites rather than depending on tables and HTML mark up. As well as being more efficient in terms of page size and reusing CSS templates many webmasters believe that it also contributes towards search engine friendliness. Website Redesign for Existing Websites Does your website need a re-design? Here are some questions to ask yourself when you are looking for investing in your website redesign.1) Is your website fresh - Having a website fresh helps your visitors to stay on your website rather than skipping your website? When I mean fresh, fresh with content, Every website owner should have their website updated with latest content, Search engine spiders index new content and in turn your website will rank high on search engines. Successful Websites Don't Set Out To Sell What are websites? Are they sales tools for vendors and service providers, or are they electronic guidance for potential customers? Put simply, are you selling or are you helping?Your answer to this question may determine the success of your website. So think carefully?How we define what a website is all depends on which side of the fence we're on. Mini Site or Content-based Web Site? Are you in a dilemma whether to create a mini site or acontent-based web site for your new product or service? Thepurpose of creating a web site should be to attract visitors andconvert them to paying customers. Is a mini site with a fewpages enough to do this or should you spend more time and createa content-based web site which contains many pages?Let's look at some of the Pros and Cons:Mini SitesPros1. User Experience and Search Engines: If Your Home Page Could Only Talk Dear web site visitor.I can't tell you how glad I am that you found my website. Make Your Web Site User-Friendly You can create a website that attracts customers, not repels them, with a little common sense advice.Everyone wants an attractive professional looking website. Design With Purpose If your website is falling through the cracks, the chances are that the site has no message, no central core to build traffic or a core readership. Websites that try to do everything usually fail. Dont Overdo it! Have you ever been to site with so much ad clutter that you wanted to just leave? Odds are you have, and odds are even better that you did in fact leave! Always refer back to the KISS philosphy. Keep It Simple Stupid!1. Pages to Include in Your Website What pages need to be included on your website? The answer varies for each type of business and depends on how informative you want your website to be for potential clients. Below is a list of sample pages for you to review while you plan out your website. Do You Own Your Web Site Design? Your web site has been up for a few months and you are making money hand over foot. While surfing sites one evening, you are shocked to find a competitor using your design. Affordable Website Design In Manchester If you have a business, big or small you may be thinking of getting yourself a website.The world wide web is another way of spreading your message or selling your product. Are You A Bill Clinton Webmaster? One of the most frequent questions I get asked about my ebook, Don't Get Banned BY The Search Engines, is whether I amended it to include post-Florida Google. "Florida" is the code name that search engine optimizer wizards gave to a November, 2003, shakeup at Google that left many webmasters covering themselves up with makeshift fig leaves while dangling upside down above the proverbial crocodile moat. What Your Website REALLY Says About You And Why It Matters Everything you say and do says something about you. This has never been more true than in a text based environment like the Internet. Business Opportunity for Graphic Designers As a graphic designer, you are sitting on a gold mine. Youhave a skill other people do not have, and you can use thatskill to earn a good living. Website Checklist 10 Basic Things Your Website Should Have .. Positive Design Attributes for a Successful Website Designing a website is hard job, and requires you to think out a plan of action, and put in a lot of work to make it successful. There are many different kinds of websites on the Internet, but if you look at all the top performers with high traffic, you will notice that they all have similar design characteristics which place them as the best in the world. 12 Essential Web Site Design Tips 1. What's the purpose?The most fundamental thing to do before designing your web site is to define its purpose. Long Copy Sales Letters on the Web: Hype or Not? I have written before about long sales copy on the web. But I have more to say on the subject. An Ideal Home Business Home Page From my personal experience of around two year as home business website operator as well as owner, I have spent enough time learning and unlearning. Observing other sites and constantly reading and contributing in online forums about managing a website. 7 Web Site Design Mistakes That Will Lose You Clients In today's world, a web site is virtually mandatory for any successful business. But there are web sites that will win you customers, and there are web sites that will lose you customers. |
home | site map |
Webdesign-box © 2006 |