1. Construction Signs
Construction signs are a dead giveaway of a beginner in online marketing and web design. Only those who are inexperienced will use the man shoveling dirt icon to signify that a page is currently under work. Instead, design like a professional by not adding content until it is finished. That way, a professional image can be portrayed at all times.
2. Useless Wizbang Gadgets
Sure, I think the cool rotating clock of characters is a cool idea. But it doesn’t add any value to a website other than entertainment. Instead of adding useless features, focus on adding features that drive value.
Website No-No’s
- Macromedia Flash Landing Pages (These do nothing to help other than wow a customer.)
- Music on a webpage. (Especially if you can’t turn it off!!)
- Cute little animated characters.
- Overuse of color.
- Visitor Counters (That’s why we have statistics packages)
- Guest Books (Replace with a email form)
3. No Navigational Organization
Website with little or no organization can be very difficult to navigate. If a visitor cannot find what they are looking for, having a website losses its value. Having a defined structure and navigation will not only help visitors find content, but also increase the chances of having a positive impression.
An important design tip to keep in mind when creating a navigation plan is to organize information around how customers think about a product. Many times companies organize information about how they categorize products (Cisco is a major example of this) instead of how customers think about products.
4. Over-Use of Macromedia Flash
Many clients ask for a Flash landing page. It’s use is primarily intended to create a sense of awe before entering the rest of the website. However this can be deceiving in many ways.
Bandwidth Intensive
Flash introductions are very bandwidth intensive and users with dial-up access will probably have a hard time loading the website and probably move on.
Search Engines Can’t “Read” Flash
Search engines at this time cannot effectively read content embedded within flash. What that means for a site that makes extensive use of Flash is that they will fail to have good rankings for search on Google, Yahoo! and MSN.
Proper Use of Flash
Flash is an extremely powerful technology for quickly conveying information to customers about complex products, services and technologies. A properly placed Flash demonstration can create a professional image and explain a product or service in a clear and concise manner.
5. Spelling & Grammar
Spelling and grammar are seemingly harmless mistakes that can really poke its ugly head at the worst possible time, when customers are getting their first impression. Not only will they see that the website doesn’t seem professional but that it lacks the polish that is expected from a professional company.
Professional Services
Make sure that your website doesn’t suffer from the same design flaw too. Contact Onepax today for a free consultation.
April 14, 2006 
