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5
Mistakes That Drive Your Web Site Visitors Away In Less Than 2
Mins.
Don't Drive Your
Visitors Away With a Poorly Crafted Web Site..
Visitors
will judge your site in a few seconds on its professionalism and
appropriateness to what they are looking for.
You took the leap. You set up a website to display
your important message. Congratulations! As in life, first impressions
are important on the web. Web researchers found that you have
about 2 minutes to make that first impression a good one. Visitors
will judge your site in those few seconds on its professionalism
and appropriateness to what they are looking for.
In fact, a website can lose about one-third of
its potential customers due to poor design, according to a recent
user study conducted by Jakob Nielson, Ph.D., a principal of the
Fremont Calif.-based Nielson Norman Group.
Take a long hard look at your site. Or ask a friend
to give you a brutally honest review of your site. Does it pass
the test of professionalism? Are the graphics of good quality
and clear? Is the formatting, font size and font colors consistent
throughout the site? Or does your site commit design mistakes
that speak AMATEUR as soon as it loads?
There are some common mistakes website owners
make that may cause visitors to leave early. Correct these top
5 mistakes to make sure your visitors stay long enough to read
your important message:
Mistake
#1 They use large, squeezed or out of portion graphics.
Beginning website owners mistakenly post large
graphics that seem like a good idea but usually will bloat the
website. Large graphics will slow your page load and turn away
impatient web surfers before they have a chance to read your message.
Even so, do use them for graphics and photos help illustrate your
communication and sell online.
Solution:
Use optimized, web-ready photos and graphics. Web Wit Tip: If
a larger image is needed to help illustrate your message, add
a link that says, “Click here to see larger image.”
That way large images that slow your page load will only be displayed
by people who really need to see a larger image.
Mistake
#2 They use distracting elements that blink, bounce, scroll or
turn circles.
Most novice websters are sure this will get the
attention of their visitors. It’s true visitors may enjoy
the cutesy elements or flash presentations. But they may never
focus on your important message as well. Unless the flash empowers
your presentation, use the adage “Less is More.”
Solution:
Limit or eliminate any distracting elements from your website.
Mistake
#3 They use too many different formatting styles.
Unless your formatting is consistent throughout
your site, it will spell UNPROFESSIONAL to its visitors and may
cause them to leave early. Inexperienced site owners change formatting
with too many different size, colors and styles of fonts throughout
the site. They create text blocks that are out of alignment.
Solution:
Use a consistent style and size of text throughout website.
CSS style sheets are helpful. Learn basic HTML and explore CSS
style sheets; it will improve your command of webbing for profit.
Mistake#4
They use colored backgrounds and graphics that make text illegible.
Some colored backgrounds, graphics or textures
make it difficult to read the type on a web page. Anything that
hinders the readability of your message may cause visitors to
give up and leave quickly.
Solution:
Choose colors that will enhance readability of your site’s
message. Light backgrounds with dark text improves readability
of your text every time.
Mistake#5
They use mismatched graphics that are inappropriate for the content
of the site.
Unseasoned site owners will sometimes use graphics
or photos that do nothing to help illustrate their message. For
example, they choose cutesy stars and flowers on a site selling
accounting services. Look for clipart and photos that will support
your important message.
Solution:
Select graphics or design elements that will harmonize and illustrate
your site’s message. Web Wit Tip: For non-techies like the
author invest in inexpensive clipart/photo sets that will enhance
and help illustrate your communications. Additionally, unless
you are training to become a graphic artist look for graphic programs
with templates to shorten your learning curve.
First impressions are important on the web. Follow
the simple design techniques above and stop turning your visitors
away at the door. Use your first few seconds to impress your visitors
with simple design that delivers your powerful message effectively.
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©Earma
Brown, 11 yr. Web Developer, Author, Service Business Owner
Helps service business owners, and writers with full featured
hosting, domain names, websites and a host of other web solutions.
Send any email to webwit@clickeasywebsites.com
for free ezine Web Wit and mini-course ‘Jumpstart Your Website
to Success’ or visit http://www.clickeasywebsites.com
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