While there are literally hundreds – if not thousands – of essential tips when it comes to designing your website to maximize user friendliness and conversion, the most important tips are those outlining what you should never do. The first step to any good website is selecting a proper web host that can handle your traffic. A good comparison to get you started can be found here. If you’re searching for a way to truly maximize your influence and reputation among visitors, then you must actively work to avoid the following mistakes.
Mistake #1 – Bad Internal Search Features
If you’re running a business website, or a content-rich resource, the most important element involves navigation. Moreover, the ability to easily search a website via an internal search engine is paramount for success. Therefore, when you’re establishing a website, you should ensure the internal search function is laid out in a way that’s hyper user-friendly. The biggest mistake you can make is placing a search bar in a non-prominent area of the website. Remember, the search option is often a lifeline for your website. Therefore, make sure the simple search bar is easily found by all users.
Mistake #2 – PDF Files for Important Content Pieces
While you may think having PDF files on your website will help with readability, it’s actually the complete opposite. This is especially true when reading a website on a mobile platform. Sure, PDF files are excellent for printable documents; however, when it comes to the actual content of your website it can be disastrous for overall readability.
Mistake #3 – Blocks of Text
The average Internet user scans text to locate key phrases and bits of important information. One of the biggest website design mistakes you can make is creating a giant block of text. Not only is this visually unappealing, but it’s often intimidating for visitors. Remember, when you’re designing text for your website, it should be broken up into easily scanned segments. Highlight the most important pieces of content by using bulleted lists, subheadings, short paragraphs and short, swift sentences.
Mistake #4 – Static Font Size
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is dictating the font size through your CSS style sheet. Unfortunately, if you use a static font size it’s often too tiny for the average reader. By disabling a Web browser’s ability to change the size of font, you can seriously hurt your reputation among visitors. The most important thing to remember when designing a website is to respect the various preferences of visitors by allowing them the option to customize how the page/font is displayed. When designing a website, specify font sizes, but don’t require font sizes to be a certain number of pixels.
Recommended resource: https://www.smashingmagazine.com/tag/web-design/
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