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When you look at a web page your computer is actually downloading the page, including text, layout and images for display in your browser. Text is downloaded very quickly as is the code that determines the layout of the web page. Images are another matter. One of the biggest contributors to web pages not loading quickly is the time it takes to download the images. The longer your page takes to load the more chance there is of users becoming impatient and looking for a different site.
Navigation on a website are the links that take you to the various other pages within the site. Poor navigation can mean badly titled links that don’t really give the user any idea of where the link goes or even what it is for. What is worse is being stranded on a page with no easy way out. Links to the major pages of the website should be conveniently displayed on every page of the site. Also, in a well designed site you should be able to get to what you want within 3 or 4 clicks.
Animation on a website can be very attractive but it is always good to exercise restraint when incorporating animation into a website. The idea of using animation is to impress your potential customers or clients and this can certainly be achieved using animation on a website. But such animation can quickly go from being impressive to being irritating. A good example is the flash intro page that you see on some websites. Whilst on first viewing the animated introduction may look impressive it soon becomes an annoyance to those users simply wishing to access the information in the website. Flash animation can be used very effectively in certain industries but it should never be used simple for the sake of having some animation on the site. Animation can draw attention away from important products and services you provide so be careful with it’s placement and use on your website.
Music and sound effects on a website can be quite novel when first encountered. However, they quickly become an annoyance and ditraction – especially when there is no way to turn them off. Before employing music and sound effects on your website think about it’s relevance to your products or services. If there is no relevance then it is more likely a gimmick, and gimmicks lose their popularity very quickly!
Your home page should let users know what your business is about. Don’t confuse your potential customers with abstract imagery and sound that leaves them guessing as to the purpose of your website.
Keep your information current. One of the biggest factors in getting visitors to return to your site is regularly presenting updated information.
If the text on your site is difficult to read it could easily turn customers away. The whole idea of having text on your web page is for poeple to read it - so don't make it hard for them to read by making the writing too small or having it blend in to the background. If you think the text on your site is hard to read then insist the appropriate changes are made to make it legible.
Don’t make it difficult for you customers to find important information. Your business may offer a range of services and these services should be accessible from any page in the site by an appropriately place “Services” link. Also, if there is a particular service you want to highlight then advertise it with it’s own dedicated link on your Home Page.
A dead link is one that goes nowhere. Sometimes links become outdated and it is important to ensure that your links are correct and current.
Information on your web pages should be clearly defined. There should never be any confusion as to what your website is promoting or selling. The text should be easy to read and the important information should be towards the top of the page. The colours of the site should compliment eachother and not conflict. Conflicting colours draw attention away from the content of the site. The design and layout should be viewable on a variety of browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Netscape etc.
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