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What not to do with a website - A rough guide:
If you have decided to build your own website, or are editing a website that you already have, following the tips below should ensure you don't fall into any of the usual design traps which often send you visitors elsewhere:
DON'T put too much on your pages:
Most visitors will avoid reading a lot of text when they see it displayed to them on one big page. If you do have lots of information to give to your visitors, try to split it up on to different pages. Ideally, you should not need to click on the scroll bar more than 5 times to get to the bottom of any page.
DON'T use annoying music or sounds:
Do not have sound "autoplay" when a user visits your website. None of the top websites on the Internet use this annoying technique, neither should you.
DON'T use lots of different looks:
Keep your website consistent throughout all its pages. Don't use different colours, backgrounds and navigation techniques on different pages otherwise your visitors may get confused. If possible, try to keep your logo visible on every page of your website so your visitors know they are still on your web pages.
DON'T assume others see your website like you do:
Not everybody who visits your website will see it the same way as what you do. Try viewing your website in other popular Internet Browsers, screen resolutions, colour depths, etc. If your website only works for the newest Internet Browsers you could be cutting your number of visitors in half.
DON'T confuse people:
If you're selling products or services on your website, let visitors know straight away don't make visitors go through 4 pages to find your products. Also try to offer a picture of your products so customers can see what they're buying.
DON'T employ bad navigation techniques:
Make it easy for users to get around your website. Navigation links are best at the top, or left of web pages. Keep your navigation consistent throughout the site to avoid confusing your visitors.
DON'T have too much going on:
Make sure everything is clear and easy to read. There is nothing worse than websites with too much going on. One of our customers has sent us a rather nasty example of this. If you find something even worse, we'd love to hear from you.
DON'T give up:
Try not to get discouraged, everyone does start somewhere. Keep working on on your site using various resources on this site and the rest of the Internet, in the end you will get there.
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