Belize website design

DOs and DON’Ts of Website Design

Below is a basic list we put together for a Website Marketing 101 workshop we did. It’s a nice overview for someone just starting out the process of designing or rebuilding their website or starting to work with a designer.

 

 

Bottom line:

Always try and make things as clear and easy as possible for your visitors.
What may be obvious to you may not be to your visitors!

 

 

DO make the site Attractive

Avoid too many colors and busy backgrounds

 

DO make the titles on your web page make sense

Instead of “Sleep in Paradise” title the page “Accommodations”

 

DO use text that your customers understand

Industry terminology will be lost on regular people (i.e. say “horseback riding” not “equestrian experience”)

 

DO use light animation for attractiveness and interest (scrolling images, etc)

Don’t go overboard however with things moving all over the place

 

DO make the site easy to navigate.

Visitors should find what they are looking for in 3 steps or less…and be able to go back where to they came from.

 

DO include calls to action where appropriate

Tell people what you want them to do (book now, reserve, contact us etc)

 

DO use a consistent menu throughout the site

Don’t make people have to search for your menu

 

DO keep important information “above the fold”

Don’t make your visitors scroll down several pages to find the good stuff

 

DO use consistent fonts, colors, structure, and layouts throughout the website.

You want people to focus on your message not try to sort though a menagerie of designs.

 

DO make it easy for people to contact you

Put your contact information on every page and have a clear “contact us” tab

 

DO use a footer navigation and a site map

It’s all about making the site user-friendly (and search engines like it too)

 

DO use search engine and user friendly technology

Avoid Java script menus and NEVER use framed sites. Use CSS instead of tables.

 

DON’T build a site in all flash

It takes long to load, you can’t use the back button, search engines hate it, and it’s hard to update (need we say more?)

 

DON’T force people to download a new browser or special plug-in to see your

They will just get frustrated

 

DON’T use fuzzy, unclear, small pictures

Nothing is more unprofessional that out-of-focus, grainy pictures, that are hard to figure out

 

DON’T use pictures with large file sizes.

Optimize and resize pictures for the web before uploading them NOT after.

 

DON’T underline text unless it’s a link you’ll just confuse people

 

DON’T center, bold, or capitalize all of your text. It makes it hard to read.

 

DON’T be creative with your menu links

Name your menu links what they are, don’t make people guess

 

DON’T let people leave your site

Links to other sites or documents should open in new windows

 

DON’T have music or sounds start automatically

There’s nothing worse than having uninvited music start when your headphones are on and volume is full

 

Some of list obtained from: www.secretsites.com