Bits & Bytes: Top Ten Website Mistakes

Top Ten Website Mistakes

by Doug DeVries of Tech Help

Developing your website is an ongoing process. Don't get discouraged if you are currently breaking all the rules below. Begin the process of your redesign by addressing one area at a time. Your customers will appreciate it, and I believe you will see a return on your investment. Chances are, all of us break a few of these rules, but to help you overcome that, here are the top mistakes as detailed by Jakob Nielsen of Useit.com.

1. Bad Search
Keep your search simple. If your site search (the function that searches within your website) is overly literal and can't handle typos, plurals, and hyphens, your users won't be able to properly find your products or services.

2. PDF Files for Online Reading
Users hate coming across a PDF file while browsing because it breaks their flow. On the other hand, PDF documents are great for printing and for distributing manuals and other big documents that need to be printed.

3. Not Changing the Color of Visited Links
A good grasp of past navigation helps users understand their current location, but many design styles don't change link colors once they have been visited. This can be an easy update on your website.

4. Non-Scannable Text
A wall of text is deadly for an interactive experience. Intimidating. Boring. Painful to read. Use these well-documented tricks:
· Subheadings
· Bulleted lists
· Highlighted keywords
· Short paragraphs
· A simple writing style


5. Page Titles with Low Search Engine Visibility
Create custom titles for each of your pages (that line that appears at the top of your browser window). Don't leave "home page" or "welcome to my website" as the title text. It is confusing for users and doesn't help search engine optimization. The change is simple, but it makes a big difference.

Tune in next month for part 2, mistakes 6-10!


Adapted from Jakob Nielsen's article on Useit.com (www.useit.com/alertbox/9605.html)