The Top 8 Website Sins Part One

They say the eyes are the window to the soul. Your website then is the window to your business. What would a passerby think of your "window"? What does your website say about you? About your business?

Does your website entice the visitor to pause and take a few moments to look around or does it confuse them so much they click past it without ever looking back.

The goal of your website is to make the visitor stay until the desired visitor response has been achieved. That might be that they sign up for your newsletter, complete a survey or make a purchase. If surfer doesn't stay for more than a few moments then all your hard work is for nothing.

There are 8 key factors that can prevent people from staying on your site. In extreme cases the key areas below can actually drive traffic away from your site.

Sin #1

Provide Useful Content.

People search for information online. To find that information they use search engines. They type in keywords or phrases to locate items, places or information they require or desire. Google, Yahoo and MSN go through their indexes and present the searcher with the best possible match for their information request. The searcher clicks on the links and visits a few sites.

What happens if the searcher doesn't find relevant information once they get to the site? Yup they go right back to their previous search results and go elsewhere.

Provide useful content. Don't scam the search engines. Don't churn out another site made up of copied search engine results. Your website is your business. Treat it like one.

The two key rules for website content are:

1. Make it useful.

2. Make it easy to find on your site

Sin #2

Slow Loading Sites

If your site takes any longer than 30 seconds to load then the visitor is gone. Theywon't be back either.

Ideally your website should load in 15 seconds or less. Web surfers will not wait around for your fancy graphics or flash demos to load. They'll get bored and move on.

Do not use bitmap graphic files for logos or as part of your site design. They're ugly and take forever to load.

Ensure that every single GIF and JPEG is optimized for faster loading. If you don't understand how to optimize graphic files for your site ask somebody to do it for you. It can cut your site loading time by 50%.

Keep your site to 20% graphics and 80% text. Text loads faster and gives the web surfer something to read while your graphics are quickly loading in the background. Look at some of the most successful websites on the net - Google, Yahoo and Amazon. Graphically intensive? bsolutely not. These guys realize that every second they waste and visitor they lose is money out of their pocket.

Sin #3

Poor Layout

A visitor should be able to find what they need on your website in 3 clicks or less. Any more than that and you're losing valuable visitors and the potential income that involves.

Your navigation menu should be easy to use and every single link must work properly. Don't just assume that all your links work - check them yourself.

Use a sitemap on each and every one of your websites.

Do not use fancy mouse pointers - the type with the fancy trails.

Do not use complicated menu systems.

Text should be legible but not huge. Change your screen resolution to 640 x 480 and 800 x 600. How does your website look now?

Keep it simple. Imagine how a new Internet user would react to your website. Would they love it or hate it? Could a new visitor easily find the information they're looking for? If not then why not? Find the problems yourself and eliminate them in advance.

Sin #4

Awful Color Schemes

There's nothing worse then searching for hours for the information you need and then not be able to read it.

You've all been there. You click on the search result and that's when the pain starts. You've just arrived at a page with a light blue background and yellow text. Or maybe it's red text on a black background or white text on a gray background. You stare at the site in disbelief that anybody could ever have thought such a color scheme would actually work.

If you need guidance on how to choose colors for your website look at any magazine. Black or dark blue text on a white background is the simplest and most effective color scheme for text presentation.

For your menus and other background colours bear the following in mind:

Red is stimulating and agressive.

Blue is peaceful and tranquil.

Green is calm and refreshing.

Yellow grabs peoples attention.

Purple is wealthy and luxurious.

Brown is solid and reliable.

Orange is bright and optimistic.

The colors you choose for your website can have a direct impact on how people react to your content or message. It can either attract them or repel them. The choice is yours.

Continued in part 2 of The Top 8 Website Sins.

This article was provided courtesy of Affiliate-Advocate.com where you'll find tons of information on online affiliate marketing

---

Looking For A Designer To Re-Design Your Website?

If you were like me and you have just started... Read More

Save Thousands of Dollars by Creating Your Own Web Site

With the advent of the Internet a whole new vista... Read More

Web Advertising: 10 Little Known Tricks To Help Convert Your Traffics To Buying Customers

You may not believe it, but people still judge things... 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

14 Ways to Add Content to Your Web Site - Part 1

When I surf the Net, I often see web sites... Read More

Be Friendly to Search Engines

The object of search engines is to give their visitors... Read More

No More Jargon! Pamper Your Audience!

When your company built its website, did you think about... Read More

Re-Use The Links You Have When Revising Your Site!

Many times I've seen a web site undergo a revision... Read More

Website Design Firm

Website design firms come in all shapes and sizes.When choosing... Read More

Web Site Redirection - How to Implement a 301 Redirect

You just created a new web site but want to... Read More

Breathe New Life Into Your Half-dead Website By Using Words That Sell

This article may come as a surprise to you.Especially since... Read More

Increase Your Credibility With Web Site Awards

Web Site Awards are given from other sites to reward... Read More

How To Get A Pay Raise From Your Web Site

How many of the visitors to your web site take... Read More

Ten Design Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid these mistakes and your site will be steps ahead... Read More

Creating Personal Web Sites

This is a two-part article about creating a web site... Read More

Creating Your First Website

Building your first website can be very frustrating. It looks... Read More

Color Scheme for Your Website?

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

Are Web Templates Worth It?

First off, I am a designer. Now you're thinking, here's... Read More

When You Create A Web Site, Dont Make A Splash!

Don't make a splash!Are you thinking about using a splash... Read More

Simple Steps To Proper Web Design

Over the course of the last decade, the Internet has... Read More

Can Your Visitors Contact You From Your Website

Argh, where's the contact button?! Believe it or not, some... Read More

Graphic Design Using Color

Color is everywhere and conveys a message even if we... Read More

Tips for a Successful Website for Any Organization, NGO or GO

Most NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) don't understand these important aspects of... Read More

The Brutal Truth

Not too long ago while looking for businesses that do... Read More

Database Driven Website

The solution lies in creating a 'Database driven website', through... Read More

Graphic Terms- The Basics Part I

You're almost set. The content of your website, e-book, or... Read More

The Top Ten Checklist For Low Web Site Sales

You have good traffic, but low client sign ups and... Read More

Do You Make These Common (But Deadly) Website Design Mistakes?

Building a website can be overwhelming, here are some design... Read More

Build Web Pages from the Top Left Corner Down

There are two important reasons to build your website from... Read More

Website Polls For You And Your Visitors

Setting up a survey on your site is extremely simple... Read More

Website Creativity: Why It Matters Now More than Ever

If one more business owner tells me their website sucks... Read More

Browser Compatibility

Internet Explorer, created by microsoft has been the most popular... Read More

Three Things You Must Do When Designing and Building Your Small Business Website

If you are going to have a web presence for... Read More