subject: Is Your Web Design Hiding Mistakes? [print this page] Is Your Web Design Hiding Mistakes? Is Your Web Design Hiding Mistakes?
There are lots of different web design mistakes to blunder across when you are still a beginner or altogether new to building a website. Of course, that's why we hire professionals to get it done right, for us. If you are doing it yourself or working with someone who is new to web design keep an eye out for some of the more common pitfalls. They can go unnoticed, having devastating consequences to your websites rankings and popularity.
One of the most common mistakes is insufficient browser comparability testing. Many web designers, new to the game, do not realize how important it is to make sure the new website works on all browser platforms (the most popular ones anyway). Too often, this becomes an overlooked step. Professional web designers learn to support as many browsers as possible, even if the extra effort often goes unnoticed by clients. A web site may get only a handful of visitors using Camino, but if one of that small group is looking to make a million-dollar purchase, you want be sure your site looks great to them.
Another common Web Design mistake is lacking flexibility in the development of the website. This comes from attempting to build a website and then fit the content inside. The proper method is flesh out the content you want for your website, then form a design that offers great support. There will always be some information to add, design changes, new pages and much much more. Professional web designers know that a website must be built to easily accept changes. After all, as the popularity of the website increases, the amount of information will increase. It only makes sense that your website will be asked to handle more pages, more content and more design additions.
Almost every web site is created for a reason, but not enough of them are actively directing their visitors towards that reason. Online stores, obviously, exist to sell products, but many small business sites do not actually incorporate e-Commerce features. These informative sites do not just exist to provide information; they are created in the hopes of eliciting a specific reaction from the visitor. It may be a phone call for more information, or generating a lead by filling out an online form. Often, new designers focus so much on things like graphics and page layout that they forget to tell the site's visitors what they want them to do. It's important that a web designer understand the goals of the web site, so as to structure it in a way that encourages visitors to take that action.
The really tricky part is that a website can have the above ailments and still look good. That is why these mistakes can go unnoticed by clients and newer professionals. No one may discover them until the site has been live for some time, and clients begin to complain about poor search engine performance, or lack of conversions, or an important customer who can't view the site properly. It can all be fixed, but its best to steer clear from the start by using professional web designers.
