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"How You Can Avoid 10 Design Mistakes Businesses
Make with Their Website!" |
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© Copyright 2004 Miracle Studios Inc.
www.miraclestudio.com |
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1. Fixed on Frames |
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Just the sound of the word "frames" makes my
blood freeze and stomach churn. If your site still uses
frames, do yourself a favor and pull it offline NOW! |
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Frames are bad. |
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Bad for search engines, bad for bookmarks and just plain
bad design taste. There are a few applications in which
framesets are useful, but websites are not and will never
be one of them. In fact, if you hire a web designer and
he suggests you use frames or a "frameset" to
accomplish your request, thank him for his time and hire
a different designer! |
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There is NEVER a good reason to
use frames on a public website. |
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Why? Let us count the ways |
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1. Splitting a page into framesets is very confusing for
users since frames break the fundamental user model of the
web page.
2. You cannot bookmark a frames page and return to it (the
bookmark points to another version of the frameset).
3. URLs stop working.
4. Users cannot easily print pages within a frames site.
5. Users cannot email specific frames pages to other users.
6. Pages within a frames site will NEVER be properly found
and indexed by search engines.
7. Page titles do not show within frames pages.
8. Frames pages create accessibility issues.
9. Variable screen sizes will change your navigation frame.
Frames get obscured at different resolutions or window sizes
and are not cross-browser compatible.
10. The predictability of user actions goes out the door:
who knows what information will appear where when you click
on a link? |
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So when you think about using frames in your website design
next time, just remember it is ALWAYS the wrong decision. |
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DESIGN TIP: |
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Instead of using frames, try using include files to generate
the template design. |
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2. Bloated Images |
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Probably the most common mistake made by non-technical
contributors to website content is the mistake of inserting
a cool looking image or clip-art from their royalty-free
collection and resizing it to look smaller on the page.
In theory what they are doing is fine - the only problem
is that they have not taken the time to actually resample
the image into a lower resolution. This means that
you still have an image that is ten times larger than it
needs to be in order to be displayed on your website.
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This poses some major problems: |
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1. Users with slower Internet connections will not be
able to download your site over dial-up.
2. The image will look grainier and less sharp than it originally
did.
3. Your will use up more room than is necessary on your
web server.
4. Your site, at best, will load slowly and, at worse, will
not load at all. |
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If used properly, images can help you sell your products
and further express your ideas online. Just make sure to
avoid the bloated image trap and you'll be fine. |
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DESIGN TIP: |
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Here is a few rules to follow for images on your website.
1. Make sure to resize them properly (screen resolution
is 72 dpi).
2. Set the width and height to exactly what you want them
to be BEFORE you upload your image to the website (usually
no wider than 400 dpi).
3. If you must show a larger version of your image, link
to it in a pop-up window so that users can opt to click
on your smaller thumbnail and view the image full size. |
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3. Lack of Structured Navigation
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We've all been there - a site that links to pages
that seem to have nothing to do with the previous page
and before we know it we're completely lost and ready
to leave. This could all be avoided by creating a simple
and consistent navigation structure to your website.
One of the most difficult problems in web site design
is navigation. In fact, when you say "web site design,"
most people think of graphic design or the overall look-and-feel
of a website. But the truth is that web site design is
a means of sharing information (not art) and therefore
the biggest challenges you'll face in "designing"
your website will be in deciding how to navigate your
content.
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Confusing, complex or inconsistent Navigation can frustrate
your visitors and will inevitably cost you money in terms
of lost sales or lost (literally) customers.
Remember, the purpose of navigation is to: |
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1. Provide your visitors with the friendliest path to
find the content they want as quickly as possible.
2. Ensure your visitors always know where they are on your
website.
3. Allow visitors to move quickly and logically between
pages on your website.
4. Give users the proper context of the document they are
reading.
5. Highlight for the visitor parts of your content that
you want to promote. |
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There are a variety of navigation techniques
that can be used to ensure your web site is as easy to navigate
as possible. They include the following: |
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1. Content navigation: Located in the
body of your website where the main content is represented.
2. Site-wide navigation: Links to pages
that must be accessible from every page on the site (Home,
Contact Us, etc.). Global navigation should always appear
at the top and bottom of every page.
3. Highlight navigation: Feature some attractive
content on the web site. For example, you might want to
promote a special product or new sale item.
4. Related navigation: Related navigation
is usually at the end of a page. It lists a selection of
web pages, documents or files that are related in someway
to the content you have just read.
5. In-Text navigation: If your page content
refers to another page within your website or another category
of your site, you can link to it directly from the content
reference.
6. History or "Bread Crumb Trail" navigation:
This navigation tells you exactly what page of the website
you are on and how it relates to the overall sitemap. It
should always begin with a Home link and end with the page
you are on. (For example: Home > Products > Product
X)
7. Drop-down navigation: This is navigation
delivered by a drop-down menu. It tends to be used as a
space saver, and in cases when you want to present a section
of the navigation that would be too long to present as hypertext
on the page. |
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DESIGN TIP: |
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Start your design from the visitor's point of view and
get the people who will actually use the web site involved
in the design from the earliest point possible. |
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4. Pointless Pop-Ups |
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Users like pop-ups about as much as the door-to-door
salesman who showed up to your last dinner party unannounced
and uninvited. Nothing is more annoying than a million pop-ups
showing up on every page when you least expect it. There
is no good reason to use pop-ups - avoid them like the plague.
Why? |
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1. Users often associate pop-ups with spyware, or viruses
- not part of the Internet you want to be associated with.
2. We have yet to hear of anyone who actually likes
a pop-up window. Have you?!
3. It creates a sense of loss of control on the part of
the user, which is threatening and pushy. |
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DESIGN TIP: |
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Instead of using pop-ups, consider launching
your page in a new window. Here's the golden rule - it should
always be at the command of the user and you should alert
the user prior to launching the window by placing a disclaimer
next to the link they are clicking announcing the impending
pop-up that will arrive when they click the button. Your
customers will feel much happier. |
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5. Super-sized Scrolling |
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Never design a site that has horizontal scrolling - users
find it annoying. Check your site on smaller browsers. Your
site should be able to be viewed on 800 x 600 screen resolutions
or larger without horizontal scrolling. 47% of Internet
users are browsing at 800 x 600 resolution. Make sure you
keep them in mind when designing your site. |
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Also, you should try to limit vertical scrolling as much
as possible, especially on the home page. Did you know it's
estimated that only 10% of users will scroll down further
than they can initially see? Keep the important information
and navigation at the top of a page. This is why it is essential
to have a clean headline or sales pitch that entices the
user to read further down the page. If you don't
catch their attention with your message on the first screen
they are likely to move on. |
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Putting your most important content near the top of the
page is beneficial to search engines, too, as they often
only index the first portion of a page. |
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DESIGN TIP: |
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Remember, if your most important content
is hidden "below the fold," many users will never
see it. Make sure to focus your attention on the content
they will see before leading them down the page to the rest
of your information. |
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6. Perpetual Construction |
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Under construction signs are seldom necessary and often
left unfinished for far too long. Inevitably there will
come a time in every site's lifetime that you will give
it the overhaul and freshen up the overall design. When
this time comes for your site, consider creating an entirely
different directory on your web server for beta-testing
purposes. This way, you can leave your old site up and in
good working order without any "under construction"
messages for as long as you want. |
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I have visited far too many websites that claim they are
"under construction" only to find one month later
that the same message appears to have not changed.
It is pointless to leave a website under construction for
more than a week. Most major changes you incur
should be able to be modified overnight or at the very most
within a few days to a week. Besides, you should always
thoroughly test your new site design offline before launching
it to your public address. |
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DESIGN TIP: |
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Monitor your use of the "under construction"
tag and keep it to a minimum. A well-designed site will
allow for regular content updates without requiring a major
overhaul. A good rule of thumb is if you have to display
the "under construction" sign more on your website
than your physical business, something is wrong. |
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7. Stale Content |
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Let's face it, an article or copyright dated 1999 just
doesn't carry the same weight as a article from this month.
This begs the question - how often should you update your
home page content? The answer will depend a lot on your
line of business and the goals and objectives you have set
for your website. However, one thing is for sure, your website
should be a living, breathing resource of information for
your customers. Now, I'm not suggesting that you should
change the content of your site everyday, but it certainly
wouldn't hurt to add some new articles to your site every
quarter at least, if not every month. |
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The bottom line here is that in the world of the internet,
customers are used to finding reliable, up-to-date content
in a flash. Don't leave stale content on your website
whenever possible - but don't delete it either.
The best idea is to create an archive for future reference
by your customers. But don't leave it prominently displayed
where the whole world can see that you've been neglecting
your website. |
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Think about it:
1. What does stale content tell your customers about how
often you update your site?
2. What does it suggest about your level of concern for
your website sales?
3. How reliable can they expect other information like pricing
and availability to be when you don't take time to update
articles on your home page?
Bottom line, if you want your customers to respect your
website as a legitamate place of business, treat it with
equal respect as your physical place of business. |
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DESIGN TIP: |
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Change your content twice as often as you
expect your customers to visit. This encourages return customers
to come again. |
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8. Hidden Contact Information |
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This seems like an obvious mistake to avoid, but oddly
enough most sites online make this mistake. In fact I'd
venture to guess that 90% of the websites online are missing
out on valuable sales simply because they fail to display
contact information prominently on every page of their website. |
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Yes you heard me right - EVERY PAGE. Wow, that sounds
like overkill right?
Why on earth should you display contact information on every
page when everyone else is putting it on a contact page
within the site? |
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1. Why wouldn't you want your information on every page?
2. Putting your contact information on every page ensures
that your customers will find a way to contact you.
3. If a customer prints your website to give to a friend
your contact information will be visible.
4. A simple phone number will go a long way in building
credibility and customer trust. |
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DESIGN TIP: |
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Although we recommend putting your phone
number on the top of every page, you should at least consider
putting it in the footer portion of your template |
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9. Mail Mines |
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You'll find them everywhere: hidden email links (we call
them "mail mines") disguised as regular links
to what you might assume to be contact information. At first
the link seems harmless enough, but once you click on it.POW
- your email program starts launching on your computer.
Mail mines will frustrate your customers and harm
their overall satisfaction with your website. |
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There is nothing more disheartening than the feeling
that you've been deceived, and disguising your email links
as a standard hyperlink is deception. You are leading your
customer to believe one thing will happen when in fact your
website is ready to launch an application on their machine
if they click "contact us." |
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Take our advice. You don't want to do this. |
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DESIGN TIP: |
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Instead of disguising your mail links, actually
write out your email address and make it a link so your
customers have some idea of what to expect when they click
on it. |
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10. Talking At the Customer
- Not To the Customer! |
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"Our company is the best!" "We've been
in business for over 40 years!" "Our products
carry a lifetime guarantee!". |
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What's wrong with these statements? Ironically,
while the goal of the messages was to build credibility
in your products or services, they are actually detracting
from your overall "trust" image. Why? Because
customers don't want to hear you talking about yourself
(me messages), they want you to talk about what's in it
for them (customer-focused messages). It's the difference
of talking AT the customer instead of TO the customer. |
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Let's look at a few examples. Which of the following
statements is more appealing: |
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"We've Been in Business for Over 40 Years!"
(good for you)
or "Over 40 Years of Experience Ready to Serve You!"
(good for them) |
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"Our Products Carry a Lifetime Guarantee!" (good
for you)
or "Your Satisfaction is Guaranteed for Life!"
(good for them) |
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Did you feel the difference? In both cases, the second
statement feels like you care about my needs as a customer
far more than the first. It's what we call a customer-focused
message. You clearly state how they can benefit from the
product you are offering. |
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There is nothing wrong with stating that you've been in
business for 40 years, but it's HOW you say it that makes
the difference. |
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DESIGN TIP: |
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Avoid words like our, we, and us as much
as possible. Instead, focus on saying you as much as possible.
In fact, go through your website right now and change every
"me" message on your website to a "customer-focused
message." It's the best thing you can do for your customers
and your business. |
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