The Biggest Mistakes Of Web Design
Learning basic web design is very easy; the hard part is learning how to do it right. Listed below are the Top 5 biggest mistakes made by inexperienced web designers and the reasons why these mistakes could end up costing you valuable time and money.
Mistake # 1: Creating a Website with Excessive Flash -- Did you know in a recent study, top internet marketers discovered that having a website created with Flash, actually DECREASED the response from prospects and customers by as much as 370 percent?
Here's why: Your prospects and customers are most likely visiting your website using all types of different computers, connection speeds and internet configuration settings...
What may look GREAT to one visitor may not even appear for another! You could very easily have shelled out hundreds or even thousands of dollars to have a website created using the Flash technology, only to find out that some of your visitors will never see it! (Not to mention the loading times can cause your visitor to close your site, never to return again.)
Mistake # 2: The "Internet Catalog" Approach -- You see this everywhere. Good, honest and hardworking businessmen and women get online to sell their products or services, and have a site created for them that contains a link to just about everything they offer on one page. Their thinking goes along the lines of, "...well, I don't want to leave anyone out. If they come to my site, I want to make sure I have what they're looking for..." -- This way of thinking could not be further from the truth.
Here's why: There's an ancient rule that goes back to the very beginning of direct-marketing on the internet, taught by the richest, most legendary and well-respected internet marketers of all time...
"When you give your prospects too many choices, they become confused and aren't sure what to do next. Confused people never buy anything."
Mistake # 3: Optimizing Your Sales Site for the Search Engines -- You'll see this taught in nearly every "internet marketing" course, manual or eBook out there... "You must optimize every page of your website for the search engines!" -- In fact, this false teaching is accepted as 'gospel truth' so often that most web designers will offer to do this for you at no, or little extra cost...
What they DON'T understand is that certain words and phrases must be either re-worded (to make it "keyword rich") or taken out completely, just to be looked upon highly by the mighty search engines -- and this could KILL your sales, literally overnight.
Here's why: When you or a hired web designer optimize your SALES page (i.e. any web page designed to sell your products and services) to get a higher listing in the search engines, you're going to have to sacrifice the pulling-power of your sales copy (i.e. written sales material) just to get those higher listings. Sure, this can bring you more traffic -- but what good is all the traffic in the world, if your visitors arrive at your website and aren't compelled enough to read why they should order your product?
For years, it has been taught that you should always try to find a "balance" of SEO (Search-Engine-Optimization) mixed with promotional copy designed to sell your products and services...
WRONG AGAIN! -- The truth is that you should NEVER optimize your sales page for the Search Engines.
Mistake #4: Having a "Graphics-Based" Website -- Sure, graphics can certainly help us to visualize a particular situation or circumstance, product or service... But did you know that having a graphically-driven website can actually DISTRACT your visitor away from your sales message?
After all, your sales message (or "web copy") is THE #1 most important factor in a website that makes money. If your visitors are paying more attention to your "professional graphics" than your sales message... you've just lost another sale.
Here's why: You've got approximately seven seconds from the time your visitor arrives at your site, to the time they decide whether to buy your product, get more information or LEAVE. If you've got a graphically-intensive website, your website will most likely still be loading past your seven-second time limit.
That's a "customer-killer" in and of itself - however, the real reason lies within the fact that the bigger, brighter and more beautiful your graphics are, the more they will distract your visitor from your sales message. And if your visitor is distracted even for one second, it could mean the difference between getting a sale, and losing a customer.
Mistake #5: Having Your Website Designed by Someone Without Real World Experience - There is nothing worse for your business then having your site built by someone with little or no real world, professional web design experience. Cobbling together one or two web sites using FrontPage and free clipart does not make you a professional web designer.
I often hear people profess about the computer talent possessed by their son/daughter/niece/nephew/etc... and how they are thinking that they may have them build their site. Not to detract from anyone’s talent with a computer, but unless this person is a professional designer, this could wind up killing your Internet sales.
Here's why: A Genex/Synovate Customer Experience Survey of a cross-section of 1,100 Internet users found that 65 percent do not shop on a poorly designed site - even that of a favorite brand. Nearly 30 percent even cease offline purchases from a favorite brand if their online experience is poor. And for many, a high quality product isn't enough to warrant struggling with a confusing site: 30 percent of consumers reported that web site design is more important than a great product. Only 4 percent will shop on a poorly designed web site - and that's when the price is rock- bottom.
Web site design is not just about being pretty or slick - it's about the customer experience online and that means, ultimately, that it's about sales. As the survey showed, there are substantial financial consequences when a company does not pay enough attention to the usability and information design of its web site.
An effective web site that properly portrays your business takes more then a general knowledge of computers, it also takes expertise in marketing and advertising, web usability, and applications development.
Having your website designed by someone with a lack of internet marketing experience is like buying a car without an engine... it won't go anywhere, and it'll just waste your time and money!
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