The golden rule for web design is to make sure that the visitor’s experience is easy. That means making sure your site visitor can find exactly what they are looking for quickly and that they can understand your company’s purpose, and value effortlessly.
Here are seven of the most offending things you need to avoid to ensure your site is not turning people away.
Pop-up Ads
When reading a website, or in the middle research, ugh, grrr, and…(well, some other words that are just not nice) are some of the words that go through your visitor’s mind when an annoying pop-up blocks their view and disrupts their experience. Instead of interrupting your visitor be sure to make your number one goal visible and obvious on the website.
Autoplay Media
Videos and music that automatically start to play as soon as the page loads are high on the list of website annoyances because once again they disrupt the user’s experience. Instead, give your visitors options to consume your content the way they want.
404 Errors
404 errors indicate that a page can’t be found on your website and even the most creative 404 error message can’t take the sting out of ending up at a dead end. 404 errors are easy to create during routine maintenance or a redesign. Run a link check on your site regularly and after any page updates to fix broken links. Also be sure to include redirects for pages you are moving or deleting from your site.
Loading Time
Photo galleries, Flash animation, and the overly popular image sliders can create wait times that give your visitor one more reason to leave your site. If you are using any of these on your site, be sure to adjust the image size of your images — large, high resolution photos are great for a printed poster, but it just means slow loading when it comes to the web.
Search Optimized Content
Well-meaning optimizers can put too many keywords into your copy and reads like a robot.
Welcome to San Diego’s best tourism website where San Diego tourism is all we do for San Diego tourists who want to have a San Diego tourism expert.
If you have text that reads like this you’re driving people off your website within moments of their landing. Remember, when it comes to Search Engine Optimization it’s better to write for your audience not for the search robots.
Nonsensical Gibberish
While we’re on the subject of well-written content, be sure that when you’re writing that you’re speaking in plain and simple words. Avoid industry jargon that serves to fill the page with content, but doesn’t actually communicate anything of value.
Hidden Contact Information
Sometimes the only reason to go to your website is to get your phone number or email address. By all means, make it easy for users to find this information.
Is Your Website Offending Your Visitors?
If you’re website has one or more of the items on this list, the chances are good that your site visitors are annoyed with your website. Contact us to find out how to fix these problems and get your website back on track.
About the author: Jeune Ortiz is VP of Marketing and Creative Director at future-ink. With more than 20 years of experience in graphic design and marketing, Jeune brings extensive knowledge and creativity to each website and internet marketing solution to grow your business.
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