In this article we’ll finish off the Top 5 Common Website Design Mistakes. In addition, we’ll discuss what things you can do to improve your website design.

The Wall of Text
This mistake could also be named, “What, no graphics?” Websites are becoming more sophisticated in design everyday.

Multimedia, flash animations, interactive menus, and a host of other things are used by web designers to increase traffic flow and keep visitors from leaving.

If content is king, most people will go read a book. While there are exceptions to the rule, a website dominated by huge chunks of text without any supporting graphics or visual aids is doomed. People have been so accustomed to visuals on websites that a web page that is crammed with text is often, if not always skipped.

This is no reflection on the intelligence of your visitors. It is simply a fact of life that walls of text seem to drive people away. The exceptions we were talking about? Literary sites, hard news sites, and instructional sites. But that being said, even these hardcore text driven sites are beginning to realize that the printed word could use a little help with some graphics.

Teeny Tiny Unreadable Text and Fonts
Vision varies from individual to individual. Some people can read small text without a problem in the world. But that doesn’t mean everyone has 20/20 eyesight.

The proper text size and font is crucial in making sure your website a place where your visitors can surf without getting eyestrain.

This also goes for background colors. If you decide that light blue text looks good on your website, if the background is yellow, it’s going to make your visitors feel queasy or slightly dizzy.

Black background should be used with care as well. If the font is too bright, it will cause eye-strain, not to mention lots of really grumpy users.
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8 Things to Improve Your Website Design

1. Try CSS drop-down menus.
2. Make sure your website can be used by as many different browsers as possible. Not everyone uses Explorer.
3. If you want to use music on your website make sure there is an option for the user to turn it off.
4. Title each one of your webpages so users will know where they are.
5. Update your content frequently so users will know your website is active.
6. Try to include an “about us” link to explain what the purpose of the website is, how the owners can be contacted, or how to leave suggestions.
7. Design your website as if you were being graded for the project. Keeping quality at the top of your list can keep you from producing substandard work.
8. Design for as many screen resolutions as you can.

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Make Your Website a Cafe
In some ways, your website design is like a cafe for people to hang out in. The setting for a good cafe is proper seating, well lighted areas, easy access to the various stations, and a pleasant overall experience. That’s what a good website should be — a comfortable place to visit and spend some time in.

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