Top ten web site errors.

The top ten worst web site design errors are discussed below, but don't despair if you recognise them from your site, as we'll offer advice on how to avoid and fix them too!

1. Non-Optimised Enormous Graphics

You may think your 200kb graphic is wonderful, but it will never show up on most surfers screens (especially those on slower modems) as they just won't wait long enough to see it.

Keep page sizes below 30k if you can (unless your graphics are the 'point' of the page).
Optimise images in your paint program to force the file size to as small as possible without to much distortion. Re-use graphics throughout the site. If you simply MUST use a large, full colour image, either thumbnail it and link to a full size image, or, warn people first. To thumbnail an image, COPY the original image, use your paint programs image RESIZE option to make the image smaller, make sure you MAINTAIN the aspect (height to width) ratio, Then OPTIMISE the thumbnail.

2. Visual Clutter!

You've got a glaring complex background with small text in a clashing colour. Urgh! Shortly you'll have no visitors, Fix it!

Don't go mad with colours, show some restraint. Keep you site colours simple and consistent. AVOID complex tiled backgrounds that clash with the text. If you must use a pattern tiled background, fade/blur it so the text stands out clearly.

3. Pointless additions

Don't put 'features' on your site just because you can! If you use Java applets, animations or flash, make sure they add something to the site. Your enormous, pointless animation has just upped someone's phone bill.

Plan your site carefully, from the navigation structure down to each individual page. Then walk away. Came back a day later and tell yourself again EXACTLY why that item is there? If it doesn't add to the page, be ruthless and dump it.

4. Music!

Your general surfers are interested in you site content, not your musical ability (unless you're running a music site of course ).

Again, if you must play your latest MIDI creation, warn people, or at least give them the option to turn it off. If you want to attach sounds to actions (buttons clicks etc.) - choose your sounds carefully. For music, choose a file format which downloads quickly, without too much loss in quality!

5. Confusing navigation!

Keep your navigation really simple. Work out a consistent navigation style and stick with it.

Try not to overload your pages with hundreds of choices that will confuse your visitors. Organise your site directory structure and content pages to help your navigation. Guide your visitors to where they want to go in a maximum of 3 clicks. (Try it on this site! - go back to our home page and download a free button!). Produce a site map early on. It will help you estimate the work involved, visitors can get an idea of the size of your site, and it assists the search engine robots in indexing the site!

6. Extreme scrolling

There's no prize for creating the longest scrolling page, so try to avoid it!

Split your pages into many 'easier to read pages'. If you must keep the information together, section the page, put links from the top to each section, put regular links back to the top, tell your visitors it's a long page and state how to navigate it if need be. (Yes yes, I know! Some of our pages are long too).

7. Failed Link checking.

Just check your links regularly. Nothing annoys surfers more than clicking links that go nowhere. See our links page for site checking resources, and tell us if any of ours don't work!

8. Old news

If you're going to run a news service, make sure it's up to date. If you can't be bothered updating, link to someone who can - then give credit where it's due.

9. Frames

Multi-window frames might look great on your 17" monitor, but they'll be claustrophobic on anything smaller. If you use them, use them properly and keep them simple.

Keep working throught his section of our site, there's lots of techniques for handling frames, all coming up in a minute!

10. Lack of promotion

There is no point telling people all about the web site you spent months building, if they simply can't find it.

Spend time getting your site registered with as many search engines and directories as possible. Visit our links page for the major search engine 'Add URL' pages. Then set up reciprocal links to similar sites so that you share traffic. This last 'error' is the most important. Don't ignore it! There's lots of information on our site covering just this topic, so keep reading, and get YOUR site in the top ten listings..