Dont Make Your Website User-UNfriendly!

Web Design is a very subjective process. Your idea of what looks good may differ from the next person's. While wild backgrounds and flashing text were once considered 'cool', unwritten standards have evolved into every web designers inventory.

In the following examples I intend to convey a few of those user-unfriendly examples to you. My purpose is only to get you thinking about the layout and performance of your website. If you have one of these examples on your site, and you like it, by all means - leave it there! These are just examples.

1. Page Counters Five years ago, every site had a page counter. They proudly displayed how popular a site had become. The problem is, as many site owners started to find out, is that these counters can be easily manipulated. They can start at any number (not just 1), and they can produce vastly over-inflated numbers. On the other hand, if your site is not a high-traffic area, do you really want customers to know that?

2. Javascript Text Scrolling I remember when this first came out. In fact, I had it on my home page. Do you remember visiting a website and all the scrolling text across the bottom? These were usually put in your status bar along the bottom edge of your browser window. They have become a big no-no in web design. Users like to see their status bar, or, if they don't, they turn it off. Either way, this is a useless tool.

3. Excessive Animated .GIF's In the mid 90's when the Internet boom hit, everyone was getting a home page. Sites and ISP's would give you FREE space to put up your information. Soon, webmaster wannabe's everywhere were over populating the web with crazy animations and bright (obnoxious!) colors. Today very few sites use these files. They are now considered a waste of bandwidth. Since most companies pay for their hosting by how much bandwidth is used, animated GIF's went by the wayside.

4. Under Construction Signs There used to be (and probably still are) pages and pages of different 'under construction' graphics for webmasters to use. Why is this a problem? Well, isn't the Internet just a big construction site anyway? Are you and your friends, clients, and other businesses constantly updating and upgrading their information online? It also conveys a sense of incompleteness. No business wants their customers to think they are running on a low budget or producing an incomplete website. The construction graphic is extinct!

5. Page Fades We've all seen those fancy pages that fade in and out, from circles to spirals and even window-shades. They fall in the category with the scrolling text - obsolete! Most Internet users are looking for INFORMATION, not fancy graphics and page transitions.

Will Hanke is owner of Lighthouse Technologies, http://www.techlh.com a web design, programming and hosting company. He is also author of several software applications in use by companies across the US.

---

The Monster Garage of eLearning

Have you seen Jesse James on the... Read More

Color Scheme for Your Website?

Yes, in a world that is obsessed with makeover madness,... Read More

Concentrate On Web Content Instead Of Search Engine Optimization

For many webmasters the title of my article may seem... Read More

Pages to Include in Your Website

What pages need to be included on your website? The... Read More

7 Tips To Increase Sales With Your Ecommerce Web Site

Ecommerce is just exploding right now on the Net. More... Read More

Colorblind People, Can They Really Read Your Web Site?

I once created a notepad-like editor. It is possible with... Read More

Website Design: 10 Web Site Design Pitfalls To Avoid

If you've a website that is not generating a lot... Read More

A Web Site That Sells Is All One Needs To Have A Successful Online Business!

There are more than billions of Web Sites, running Online... Read More

Shameless Flashers - Using Flash Tools To Create Spectacular Websites

Flash is a powerful technology that can help you create... Read More

Power of Squeeze Pages for Realtors

Squeeze pages are a very hot topic in the internet... Read More

HTML - A Website Language Explained - For Over 35s

This is a very perfunctory look at the website code... Read More

Why Dot-Coms Fail - a Webmasters Perspective

Everyday we hear that another company goes out of business.When... Read More

Creating the Perfect Website - A beginners Guide

Are you looking to create the perfect website? A complete... Read More

Choosing A Web Designer : A Plan to Guide You Through The Minefield

Choosing a web designer can seem like a daunting task.... Read More

Website Sales: Discover 10 Mesmerizing Insider?s Tricks To Ignite Your Sales

Marketing is not an easy skill to acquire.It requires patience... Read More

Why Web Pages Appear in the Wrong Location after Uploading to my Website?

If your are a new web designer, you may face... Read More

12 Essential Web Site Design Tips

1. What's the purpose?The most fundamental thing to do before... Read More

The Technology May Change, But Human Nature Remains The Same

Let me repeat that.."The technology may change, but human nature... Read More

3 Tips For Writing Content That Will Make You Sales

Content is king. Without content your website is an empty... Read More

How to Make a Website (Minus the Headaches)

There is nothing wrong with making your own website if... Read More

How To Choose A Website Designer

Now that you have decided that it is time to... Read More

Some Useful Common Site Ideas

In my web surfing adventures, I've found a few site... Read More

Get FASTER Download Times By Making BIGGER Web Pages!

As a webmaster you already know how important it is... Read More

Positive Design Attributes for a Successful Website

Designing a website is hard job, and requires you to... Read More

Top Six Ways To Make Your Visitors To Hate YOU!

We will take a look at why your visitors may... Read More

Creating Your First Website? Your Options

Creating your own website is great fun! But how is... Read More

My Top Ten List Of Extremely Annoying Web Page Design Elements!

Easy navigation and usability are one of the most important... Read More

How to Create an Enjoyable Web Page Design

Novice and professional designers alike ? you may probably be... Read More

Elements of Graphic Design for Your Website

We've all seen them. Poorly designed web sites that make... Read More

What Does Your Website Say About Your Business?

QUESTION: My business is very small, just me and... Read More

Do You Really Need A Website?

Nope. You certainly don't need a website.But you don't need... Read More

Website Design Basic Concepts

So, what's in a website design anyway? And, how do... Read More

Web Page Building for Beginners 4

Page ranking by search engines such as Google are not... Read More