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Top 5 Web Site Mistakes | April 25, 2008
By Peter Wolchak
The corporate Internet, one would think, is now a mature medium, yet companies still make the same design mistakes over and over, according to SilverTech, a Web services agency based in New England. Here are the most common errors and some tips on how to avoid them.
Mistake 1: Starting with the look. Companies often plan the appearance of a site before they figure out what they want it to do. Do you want to increase online sales? Establish your brand? Drive more traffic to your physical location?
Good site design starts with strategy and finishes with art.
Mistake 2: Designing for your convenience. It’s very easy to build a site based on your own company’s organization or departments. Don’t do this. The site should be convenient for its users, so provide a variety of ways for people to get information, including by category, interest or location.
Mistake 3: Shooting for the moon. Web technology can be very cool but it’s easy to overdo it. Balance your desire to be hip with practicality. Flash graphics and lots of photos look good but if it takes 30 seconds to load your home page, it’s time to rethink your design.
Mistake 4: Underestimating the cost. Your Web site is worth some effort; don’t underestimate the time it takes to prepare content, provide links, gather images and thoroughly test the site.
Mistake 5: Launching on Friday. Never, never launch a new Web site on a Friday. Something usually goes wrong over the weekend when no one is in the office. Go for a Monday launch.
The corporate Internet, one would think, is now a mature medium, yet companies still make the same design mistakes over and over, according to SilverTech, a Web services agency based in New England. Here are the most common errors and some tips on how to avoid them.
Mistake 1: Starting with the look. Companies often plan the appearance of a site before they figure out what they want it to do. Do you want to increase online sales? Establish your brand? Drive more traffic to your physical location?
Good site design starts with strategy and finishes with art.
Mistake 2: Designing for your convenience. It’s very easy to build a site based on your own company’s organization or departments. Don’t do this. The site should be convenient for its users, so provide a variety of ways for people to get information, including by category, interest or location.
Mistake 3: Shooting for the moon. Web technology can be very cool but it’s easy to overdo it. Balance your desire to be hip with practicality. Flash graphics and lots of photos look good but if it takes 30 seconds to load your home page, it’s time to rethink your design.
Mistake 4: Underestimating the cost. Your Web site is worth some effort; don’t underestimate the time it takes to prepare content, provide links, gather images and thoroughly test the site.
Mistake 5: Launching on Friday. Never, never launch a new Web site on a Friday. Something usually goes wrong over the weekend when no one is in the office. Go for a Monday launch.
