Website design can be a minefield, particularly if it is something you do not have much personal knowledge about. As with so many things in life, there are a few rules – and some web etiquette – that you need to know. Here is a guide to some of the most important dos and don’ts to keep in mind.
Getting your page titles and visual design right
Do – take care with page titles
Your page title influences your website’s SEO, so spend time ensuring that each one is relevant and descriptive.
Don’t – hurt your visitors’ eyes
Flashing lights and clashing colours will not endear visitors to your brand. Make sure that web pages are clear, easy to read, and gentle on the eyes.
Matching your site to your business needs
Do – know what your business needs
According to Forbes, you should have a good idea of what sort of website you are hoping for. Big businesses with a high volume of e-commerce traffic will need a big site, whereas a local business may just need a small brochure-type site. If you are looking for help with web design in Sheffield, an agency such as www.dearnevalleywebdesign.co.uk will have the necessary expertise..
Don’t – make your visitors jump through hoops
If your site needs a special plug-in or specific browser to be viewed, you will almost certainly be losing valuable customers. Visitors do not want to waste time and effort trying to view your website; instead, they will simply move on to your competitors’ sites, probably never to return.
Navigation, pop-ups, sitemaps and backgrounds
Do – keep navigation simple and intuitive
Visitors do not want to scrabble around trying to establish how to find their way through your website. Always stick with tried and trusted navigation techniques.
Don’t – use pop-ups
Visitors hate them, so do not be tempted to include any pop-up windows within your website. If there is something you want to present to visitors, try to find a better way of incorporating it into your web pages.
Do – include a site map
Many website visitors look for a site map to access the information, products or services that interest them.
Don’t – use tiled backgrounds
Not so long ago, tiled backgrounds were the ‘in’ thing; nowadays, this is considered poor practice. Backgrounds need to be unobtrusive so as not to detract from the page content.
Summary
This article gives a guide to website design etiquette, framed as dos and don’ts. It advises writing relevant, descriptive page titles, avoiding clashing colours, matching site size to business needs, avoiding plug-ins that block visitors, keeping navigation simple, including a site map, and steering clear of pop-ups and tiled backgrounds, all in the interests of keeping visitors on the site.
Questions this article raises
- How often should an existing website be reviewed against these dos and don’ts?
- What size of site actually suits a growing small business as it expands?
- Are pop-ups ever justified despite visitors generally disliking them?
