subject: Website Boo-boos [print this page] Remember boo-boos? A magical kiss from Mom and a strategically placed Band-Aid made them all better. But, sadly, boo-boos are still with us. They show up in every poorly designed website or under-performing Search Engine Marketing plan. The good news is you can kiss these kind of boo-boos good-bye, as well. All it takes are a few rules of thumb:
1. Cut to the chase. Don't create some cute intro page that is just there to launch the "real" Home page. That is sooo 2007! Instead, make the Home page the intro. The fewer steps between the visitor and site content the better.
2. Get to the point. If visitors don't know what your website is all about in a second or two, they will leave. They all have itchy mouse fingers.
3. Go light on the Flash. It increases the load time of the page, fails to index with search engines and simply doesnt work on mobile devices.
4. Avoid the fine print. Beware of using frilly fonts and munchkin type. Squinting gives people wrinkles. And nobody wants those.
5. Leave the elevator music in the elevator. Unless its a website for a hot Indie band or a traveling yodeler, you dont need mood music on your site. If you ignore this rule, then at least provide a volume control and dont have it set for auto play.
6. Hire a pro. There are all sorts of point-and-click website-making software out there. But most of them come with spotty code that may not be fully compatible with all the various browsers.
7. Test drive, before you launch. Make sure your website works with all the leading browsers before you go live.
8. Crosslink. Crosslink. Crosslink. Anchor text on links lets visitors know where they're going, plus it helps with SEO.
9. Easy on the pop-ups. Remember, pop-up blockers have reduced the effectiveness of these annoying little buggers. The only pop-ups on a website should be of the user-requested variety.
10. Required registration is a buzz kill. People are private. Most are reluctant to give out their e-mail addresses. Be prepared to lose a high percentage of your visitors if you make this a requirement.
11. No one likes a spammer. Never subscribe visitors without their consent. It is just creepy.
12. Seek and ye shall find. Make sure visitors can search your entire website. Make it easy for folks to find what they are looking for.
