Common Mistakes in Web Design

By | March 8, 2015

7-website-mistakes-700x300There are millions of websites out on the World Wide Web, but for every well-designed page, there are countless websites with poor layout or mistakes. So how do you keep your websites from falling under the category of ‘poorly designed?’ It could be difficult to know what classifies as a mistake when designing a page, but there are some common blunders that even the best website developers make when it comes to professional or personal pages. Here are some of the most common mistakes in web design to avoid when you are getting ready to launch your business online:

  • Too much text

    – If you have a lot to say, it could be difficult knowing how to pare it down to the essentials. For those who are used to writing printed content, understanding that online content is much different is the key to appealing to visitors. You want to keep the content simple, easy to read and even scan-friendly. Simple ways to do this within the design of a website includes adding bullet lists, subheadings and shorter paragraphs. Break up text with graphics to keep the page even easier to read.

  • Hard to read font

    – One way to quickly get your readers to leave a website is to use hard to read fonts. Use simple, sans serif fonts to keep it simple for all readers – and never use overly scripted font! Sans serif fonts, such as Helvetica or Arial, are two of the most popular options on the Internet for their simplicity and ease. Always use a dark font on a light background – using a dark background and light font is very hard on the eyes. When designing a website, it’s important to keep all readers in mind!

  • Keep advertisements to a minimum

    adventure– While advertisements are a great way to drive income from the website, they often get in the way of a user’s navigation. That being said, using design elements in the website that imitate an advertisement could prove to be futile, as Internet users have become accustomed to avoiding anything that looks like an advertisement. If you implement banners or pop-ups in your web design, the average user might mistake it for an advertisement and avoid it all together.

  • Don’t disable the ‘Back’ button

    – When you prompt links to open up in new windows on the browser, there are varieties of issues to consider. First, an Internet user now has to deal with countless open browser windows when navigating around the website. Next, by prompting the user to interact with a new browser, they are unable to find their way back to the previous page by clicking the ‘back’ button – this means once they leave your website, chances are they won’t return.

  • Implementing different colors for links

    – Have you ever been on a website with countless links that take you off into different aspects of a website? When you return to the list, do you remember where you’ve been and which links you haven’t used? Make it easy for readers to navigate around a website by creating an accent color for visited links – making visited links visible prevents browsers from clicking the same links and becoming frustrated.

  • Add a search box

    – If you have a lot of content on your website, make it easier for visitors to find what they are looking for by adding a search box. When a user can’t easily navigate around the website, incorporatng a search box as a backup provides the next best solution.

These are just a few of the common mistakes in web design. The bottom line is: keep it simple and user-friendly so you don’t have to worry about confusing or frustrating visitors.