There is nothing worst than a bad website and most of us are guilty of one of or two website dont's at any given time. Some websites however, are hopelessly bad and only the design Gods help them.
Which ones are you making…and how quickly can you fix them?
2. 1
D N’T GET UGLY.
Just because your nephew said he
could build you a website, doesn’t
mean he should. If you wouldn’t allow a
non-professional to build your house,
you shouldn’t allow one to build your
online presence.
You don’t need great design to be
successful, but great design can
certainly help you succeed.
3. 1
DO...
Spend your money where it
counts...design is one of those things. A
visually appealing, easily navigated site
will help keep your visitors on longer
and coming back more often. Ask the
creators of Pinterest.
4. “ Good design, is good business.
-Thomas J. Watson
“48% of people base their opinion of a
website on overall design alone. 52% will
not return because of overall aesthetics.
5. 2
D N’T CLUTTER.
A crowded store can be incredibly
difficult to shop and find
what you’re looking for. The same
issues can apply to an online store or
website.
If I can’t find what I’m looking for
quickly and easily, I’ll go find it
somewhere else.
6. 2
DO...
Keep it clean by creating lots of white space
and streamlining
your message.
1. All I need to know is what you do
2. What you’re charging for it
3. And how I can get in touch with you if I
need to.
Everything else is space filler.
7. "Clutter is stuck energy.
The word "clutter" derives from the Middle English word "clotter,"
which means to coagulate - and that's about as stuck as you can get."
-Karen Kingston
"78% of client-side respondents
stated that their company was
extremely or quite committed to
delivering the best online user
experience ."
8. 3
D N’T FLASH ME.
There are many ways to bring dynamic
and visual elements to your site without
the use of Flash. Not only will it
unnecessarily increase your loading
time, it is not compatible on all mobile
platforms.
Additionally, the use of Flash can be
annoying if it moves too fast or slow.
9. 3
DO...
Use templates that support the use of
CSS( Cascading Style Sheets) and
Sliders. Also use bold images that
represent what you’re selling, attention
grabbing headlines that hone in your
message and CTA (call-to-action) to
direct your visitors to the important
stuff.
10. "The goal as a company is to have
customer service that is not just the best,
but legendary."
-Sam Walton, Founder of Walmart
It takes 2.6 seconds for that viewers
eye to concentrate in a way that
reinforces that first impression.
11. 4
D N’T CONFUSE ME.
When building your website, you might get
tempted to design it the way you think it ought to
be, but you should keep in mind that you are not
decorating your living room.
Organization is key. There should be a logical flow
to your website. Information about you or your
business should be found under... About Me...and
so on.
12. 4
DO...
Make your website easy to navigate.
Include a search or navigation system
for those who would like to find specific
information. You can get creative, as
long as most of your visitors will get it.
13. "Good order is the foundation of all things."
-Edmund Burke
Researchers at the Missouri
University of Science and
Technology found that visitors
spend about 6.44 seconds
studying the menu of a webpage.
14. 5
D N’T HURT ME.
Using strong colors such as red as a
background can cause unnecessary
strain to the eyes making it difficult to
look at and can even cause headaches.
Additionally, font choice, size and site
colors can hugely affect the legibility of
your site, which directly affects the
amount of time people will stick around.
I shouldn’t walk away from your site
feeling like crap.
15. 5
DO...
Use medium to large sized fonts, on a plain white
background with a dark font for easy and safe
reading.
16. "Typography is the craft of endowing human
language with a durable visual form."
-Robert Bringhurst
85% of shoppers place color as a primary
reason why they buy a particular
product...Color increases brand
recognition by 80%. Brand recognition
directly links to consumer confidence.
17. 6
D N’T BE A TROLL.
One shouldn’t have to pay a toll of any
kind to enter your website.
Unless you’ve got some secret society
going or your website is strictly for
members only, don’t create barriers of
entry by forcing me to sign up by giving
my email or signing in with my email or
social media accounts. I’ll just find some
other bridge to cross.
18. 6
DO...
Give me the option to opt-in to your
newsletter, sign up for an account or
choose a membership option once I can
see what you’ve got to offer.
19. "Walls protect and walls limit It is in the
nature of walls that they should fall."
-Jeanette Winterson
98% of respondents in a recent survey said
that customer experience was among the
top 3 factors when deciding to do business
with a company.
20. 7
D N’T PLAY HIDE & SEEK.
As soon as I land on your website, I need to
find the information I am looking for as soon
as possible. The last thing I want to do is
spend my time jumping from page to page,
link to link, trying to find where you could
possibly have placed it.
Additionally, prospective clients or customers
often require answers to their questions before
making a decision and they should have a
quick and easy way to contact you. Not being
accessible can cause distrust and uncertainty.
21. 7
DO...
Include a search box and optimize your site
with keywords so that information is easily
found when searched. Also include contact
information. It’s important you appear open,
transparent and available. Have a contact
page with a form. Also have several methods
of contact such as email, phone number,
chat options and of course, social media
channels.
22. "A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity."
-Dalai Lama
"A study of Fortune 500 websites
showed that 63% have content above
the fold, 50% feature a scrolling
content window of some kind."
23. 8
D N’T BLAST ME.
Web 2.0 was all about fancy Flash sites
accompanied with music to set you in the
mood. Well, those days are gone. I am
visiting your site for information, products
or service, not to boogy to the beat.
Your musical taste may not be received
well and while you may think it adds to
the user experience, it may do more
damage than good. And yes, this
includes sites for musical artists.
24. 8
DO...
Give me the option to play music first, if
it’s absolutely essential to getting your
message across. This goes for videos as
well.
25. "When there is noise and crowds, there is trouble; When
everything is silent and perfect,there is just perfection and
nothing to fill the air."
-Dejan Stojanovic
“ Consumers have a preference for those
marketing channels they feel in control of.
They want to have the choice of receiving
the messages when it suits their timetable
or ignoring them altogether if necessary.
26. 9
D N’T BADGE & BOAST.
We get it, you’re connected...to alot of
different networks. In an attempt to
appear legitimate or validate your site,
you could end up looking like an
obsessed girl scout by littering your site
with badges.
Even awards can get a little show-offy.
27. 9
DO...
If you’ve won something, it’s definitely
worth mentioning.
Place only the most important badges or
awards in a secondary position on your
website such as the side bar. Everything
else can go in your About Us section
where it belongs.
28. "Perhaps the less we have, the more we are required to
brag."
-John Steinbeck
“ It takes less than two-tenths of a
second for an online visitor to form
an opinion about your brand.
29. 0
1
D N’T AD-TACK ME.
Hey, it’s cool. We all have to make a living.
Ads provide a realistic stream of income
especially if your site is heavily trafficked.
The thing is, I’m probably on your site for
the information you’re providing.
Ad pollution is distracting, especially the
ones cloaked as text or jump in front of you
like a ninja attack when you least expect it.
It’s too aggressive and can affect the
visitors experience negatively.
30. 0
1
DO...
Keep your ads relevant and out of the
way. Top and side banners should be
suffice.
31. “There is no gesture more devastating than the back
turning away.”
-Rachel Simmons
81% of consumers are more likely
to give a company repeat business
after a good service experience.
32. 1
1
D N’T GET STALE.
Design and the way we consume
information is always changing, today more
rapidly than ever. Technology helps us
become more efficient and that is the
primary reason you should keep up with it.
Your site doesn’t need to include every new
plug-in or trick available but it shouldn’t run
or look like you created it 10 or even 5 years
ago.
33. 1
1
DO...
Update your look every 3 to 4 years to keep
on trend or go classic and simple. Use social
media icons and relevant tools such as optin boxes, comment sections, suggestion
features, on-site sign up forms, on-site
shopping carts and add video components
to cover all platforms of content delivery.
Oh, and once in a blue moon, surprise me
with something new. That can be easily
done with new content or at least a new
perspective on an old topic.
34. “ Become addicted to constant and never-ending
self-improvement.”
-Anthony J. D’Angelo
“70% of marketers resoundingly reported
they are using website optimization lessons
to inform offline campaigns and other
marketing communications.”
35. 2
1
D N’T IGNORE ME.
If you’re too busy to answer a question or
deal with the concerns of your visitors, you
could be leaving great opportunities to
cultivate lucrative relationships.
This goes for all kinds of questions,
whether it be technical or even a business
inquiry. You just never know where these
things may lead. If the whole point of your
website is offer a service or product,
be prepared to offer some kind of
customer service.
36. 2
1
DO...
Getting too many questions to handle?
You can always outsource that kind of
work for pennies. Or you can simply take
10 minutes in the morning each day, to
reply. You’d be surprised at how much
you can get through. This usually pays off
big in the long run.
37. “ Eventually everything connects - people, ideas,
objects. The quality of the connections is the key to
quality per se.
-Charles Eames
“Its been estimated that 40% of customer
support calls could have been avoided if
the company had simply provided good
documentation.”
38. 3
1
D N’T BORE ME.
Who cares?!!
You do! And it’s your job to make me
care. Entrepreneurs are often terrible at
explaining exactly what they do in a way
that allows the visitor to care or make a
decision.
Too much jargon or boring words can
easily cause a visitor to lose interest in a
matter of seconds.
39. 3
1
DO...
Use words that evoke emotion and
passion. If you’re not a word smith,
keep your message simple and
straight to the point. Images and
even icons can also do wonders for
getting your message across. You
can’t go wrong with that.
40. “A picture can say a thousand words, but a
few words can change its story.”
-Sebastyne Young
“Visitors spend about 5.59 seconds reading
written content.”
41. 4
1
D N’T GROUND ME.
We have gone mobile. We are constantly on
the go, with our noses constantly stuck to our
phones and tablets, having conversations,
texting, watching videos and shooting selfies.
Today, we can conduct multimillion dollar
businesses from a phone. Your website should
certainly be easy enough to navigate when I’m
on the go.
42. 4
1
DO...
Go mobile friendly. There are plenty of
template designs that have made the
switch so there should be no excuse.
43. “The Mobile Web Initiative is important; information
must be made seamlessly available on any device.”
-Tim Berners-Lee
“46% of mobile users report having difficulty
interacting with a web page, and 44%
complain that navigation was difficult..”
62% of companies that designed a website
specifically for mobile had increased sales.
44. 5
1
D N’T BE AN EGO-MANIAC.
I’m sure you’re great, but what have you
done for someone else lately and what
can you do for me?
When it comes to telling people what you
do, it can seem as though the logical
thing to do is talk about yourself and
what you’ve done, but it’s like being that
guy at the party that talks only about
himself.
45. 5
1
DO...
Discuss what you do, but talk about how
you have helped others. We go on
websites firstly for information. The more
helpful information you’re able to impart,
the more grateful your visitors. When you
can talk about how you’ve helped
someone, others can see how you can
help them as well and that is worth it’s
weight in gold.
46. “No one is useless in this world who lightens the
burdens of another.”
-Terullian
“A Gallup survey suggested that a
customer who is “emotionally connected”
to your place of business will spend 46%
more money...”
47. 6
1
D N’T MAKE ME BOUNCE.
Bounces happen for many reasons. Either
your site took too long to load, was too
ugly to deal with or there were too many
choices to make for them to actually
make one.
The whole point is, you didn’t deliver the
instant I clicked on your link, so
naturally...I have to bounce.
48. 6
1
DO...
Track your bounce rate with Google
Analytics. The typical website has a
bounce rate of about 50% to 60%. You
should know what yours is and get it
down to 30% and less. As discussed,
make your website visually appealing,
simple to navigate and direct traffic to
where you want them to go.
49. “The change in a website bounce rate
spikes to 100% when a page takes 4
seconds or more to load. It jumps to 150%
if a page takes 8 seconds or more to
load..”
50. 7
1
D N’T GET ME WRONG.
If you don’t know me, as a visitor, then
you’re most likely not going to be able to
deliver on my needs. You should know
your visitors down to their hobbies, age
range, income, fears and challenges.
51. 7
1
DO...
Ask your visitors questions and connect
with them on as many different social
channels as possible. Get to know them
like you know yourself so that you can
give them exactly what they want. That
benefits both your visitor and your
pockets.
52. “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”
-Albert Einstein
“Only 55% of companies are
currently conducting any online
user experience testing.
53. 8
1
D N’T MAKE ME WAIT...
Wasted time is one of those things you
can’t make up for. In this fast-paced driven
society, instant gratification is the norm and
there is very little patience for unnecessary
loading time.
There are many reasons your site could be
taking too long to load, from heavy
pictures to bad coding, embedded media
or traffic spikes.
54. 8
1
DO...
Keep large photos to a minimum. If you
have a portfolio that requires lots of
images, compress and scale them down
before loading. Remove bulky coding
including things like line breaks and
spacing and try storing media on your own
server, if you can.
55. “Lost time is never again found.”
-Benjamin Franklin
40% of people will abandon a
web page if it takes more than
three seconds to load.
64% of shoppers did not make a
purchase because of a slow site.