Home | Site Map           
   
     

Ten Fatal Mistakes That Make Web Sites Stink


Since you'll spend lots of time and money to create your web site, don't you want to make sure you're not making mistakes that at best irritate users, and at worst make you lose customers?

After all, when you alienate users, you lose potential revenue. Who can afford that?

Dr. Jakob Nielsen, Principal of the Nielsen Norman Group, says that the top 10 website mistakes include:

1. Not listing prices. Pricing in the most specific piece of information users need to understand the nature of offers. By not providing pricing, people feel lost and it reduces their understanding of a product line. Prices let users differentiate among products.

2. Inflexible search engines. Overly literal search engines reduce user ability because they're unable to handle typos, plurals, hyphens, etc. It's also bad when search engines prioritize on the basis of how many query terms they contain, rather than on each document's importance.

3. Horizontal scrolling. Users hate scrolling left to right. Pages that require horizontal scrolling in standard-sized windows (800x600 pixels) are terrible.

4. Fixed font size. About 95 percent of the time, this fixed font size is tiny, reducing readability significantly. Users need to be able to resize text as needed.

5. Blocks of text. These are boring and can lose users quickly.

6. JavaScript in links. When links don't behave as expected, users feel lost. They also hate unwarranted pop-up windows.

7. Infrequently asked questions in FAQs. Don't list questions you wish users would ask.

8. Collecting email addresses without a privacy policy. When websites ask for email addresses, users react negatively. In the age of spam, no one wants to give away this information without some guarantee.

9. URLs over 75 characters, which make it virtually impossible to email a friend a website address. If it's too long to show in the browser's address field, users won't know how to select it. If the link is broken, users may not know how to paste it back together.

10. Mailto links in unexpected locations. Don't place mailto links on names, instead make it clear that mailto address are just that - addresses.

There are many companies that will help you avoid these website mistakes, including Web Builder Express (www.WebBuilderExpress.com).

Avoid Nielsen's top 10 website mistakes when you create your web site. Your users will have a more enjoyable experience on your web site, which is a very good thing.

http://www.WebBuilderExpress.com

Herb and Monica Leibacher operate Web Builder Express. Create a professional web site for your business or non-profit organization with Web Builder Express. At Web Builder Express, you can request your free Quick Start Guide that tells you how to create a great web site.


MORE RESOURCES:

Yahoo! News Search Results for website design
Yahoo! News Search Results for website design

Custom website design company for your online presence
We live in a technology oriented environment where most business owners try to establish a durable online presence or to upgrade their existing website, appealing to a custom website design company. Regardless of the web design services you need, those of you who want to make sure they will be working with the best have to know from the very beginning their web design needs and what to ask for ...
Website-Watcher Alerts You to Web Site Updates
Keep a close eye on your favorite Web sites, and compare versions of pages off-line, with Website-Watcher Basic. Website - Web Design and Development - FAQs Help and Tutorials - Drupal - Law
Dynamic 3D online modelling enables creativity in connector design
Design engineers can now build 3D prototype interconnects and import them into their own CAD systems using a new capability from ITT Interconnect Solutions. Its website now allows design engineers to dynamically create virtual 3D connector models, even designs which have yet to be manufactured.
PTC website named one of best in Ga.
Peachtree City?s website has been named one of the top Georgia local government websites by Juggle.com, an online encyclopedia and reference website. Juggle.com?s review of local government websites extended to both web design and content. This year the city began broadcasting City Council meetings on the site, and the main page often offers one-stop shopping for those looking for upcoming local ...
Magma Design Automation Inc. Reports Operating Results (10-Q)
By 10qk. Magma Design Automation Inc. ( LAVA ) filed Quarterly Report for the period ended 2010-08-01. Read more » »

 

 

Web Design | Photo Blog
Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved WebDesignPort.com