Resolve to Correct These Web Site Flaws in 2006!
It's four whole days into 2006 and most of us still have a few
New Year's resolutions we haven't broken yet. One resolution you
should make - and keep - is to review your web site and fix
these four web site flaws.
1. Bad layout formatting.
I saw a web site the other day that used graphic navigation
images scattered over the page. OK, how to get back to the home
page? Where's the "home" graphic? Oh, there it is! Not many
customers are going to hang around that long.
Good page layout can be accomplished simply. People expect the
navigation to be under the heading or down the left column.
Break up long text paragraphs into short ones. Use bold headings
and bullet lists when appropriate. Avoid the use of distracting,
animated graphics.
Content is king. Avoid too many graphics on your page that get
in the way of your content or distract the viewer. Use colors to
attract viewers to the important parts of your page.
2. No content or outdated content.
Review all your content. Is it still relevant? Does it reflect
they way you currently do business? Are there typos? Does it
describe the benefits of your product or service to your
customer? Is the content rich with appropriate and clear
keywords?
But the worst offense is to have no content at all! I saw a site
the other day in which the entire home page was made up of
graphic images, even the text content! Search engines cannot
read text in graphic images. No wonder that site didn't rank
well.
3. Flawed navigation and orphan pages.
You should be able to navigate to any page from any other page
in your site. Yet, we see a lot of sites that have broken links
(the links don't go anywhere). Be especially careful with links
to pages on other sites, as their URL may have changed, or the
page may have been removed. If you do nothing else - and I
intend to take my own advice here - check every nav button and
link on every page of your site.
Check for "orphaned" pages - pages that you can get TO but can't
go back to the home page without hitting the Back button
numerous times.
4. The (ab)use of technology.
Some web designers feel that an over-the-top display of
technological prowess makes for a better web site. The truth is,
it often makes for a worse site. Here, in my opinion, are the
worst offenders.
Splash Pages are pages that have little or no content,
but lots of flashy graphics to "introduce" a web site. A
potential customer may have visited a lot of sites prior to
finding yours. So, do you really want them to endure a splash
page before getting into your content?
Flash Graphics are very popular now to add movement and
dynamism to a site. Used with restraint, flash can be
attractive. But avoid having your visitor wait while your flash
loads then wait some more while your fantastic animated display
unfolds before them. Be aware that many people are still using
dial-up connections, and web surfers are notoriously impatient.
But the biggest problem with splash pages and flash graphics is
that they are search engine un-friendly. There is no content in
them that search engines can find to rank your site. So your
site will probably rank lower than your competitor's less
elaborate site, all else being equal.
Frames was a popular web development technique several
years ago, and there are a lot of frame sites still out there.
But it is now falling into disfavor. In fact, the World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C), the body responsible for establishing and
maintaining web standards, has "depreciated" frames. That means
that they are going away, and at some point in the future,
popular browsers may not support frames.
The W3C depreciated frames for good reasons. Search engines have
difficulty finding content in frame sites.
How do you know if your site was developed using frames? The
best way is to pull up your home page, click the View menu, then
click Source. If you see only one or two dozen lines of code and
the words "frame" or "frameset," your site uses frames.
Frames are not going away tomorrow, but if your site uses
frames, it would be wise to consider having your site revised
using simpler, W3C compliant, technology. Web Design
Partners stands ready to assist you in keeping your web
site resolutions for 2006!