Following from a previous article "Five website mistakes", we continue with more common problems with websites. These are on-page mistakes. Other issues that relate to off-page activities are in Website mistakes by small business - off site mistakes

1. An unprofessional design.

   A professional design builds credibility - and you only have about four seconds to do it. By then people have decided whether to trust you or go somewhere else. While the aesthetics of good design can be highly subjective, there are generally agreed practises. Badly focused images, poor use of white space, fuzzy logo's, design elements using multiple conflicting styles, poor text/background contrast and incoherent layout will put a dent in your credibility.

   The people at Websites that Suck say it even better than we could with the Worst Business Websites of 2009.

   Also make sure:

   • The site loads quickly. Make sure large images have been correctly re-sized before loading to the site (not after).
   • Your content must be free of style, coding, spelling, grammatical or functional errors.
   • Keep gimmicks such as animated images to a minimum or do without them all together unless they serve a specific purpose.
   • Informal fonts (that means you, comic sans) don't work well on a site unless its specifically relevant to the target audience.
   • Keep badges (of communities, awards and recognitions) to a minimum.
   • Your site works in the most popular browsers

2. Confusing navigation

   Good navigation is essential or people will give up and leave.

   • Make sure its clear where a link is going to take the visitor - don't use cute wording or company jargon. Longer links (between 7 and 12 words) within the content work better than shorter ones, but be careful of using these in your menus as they will become illegible
   • The navigation scheme, position and layout must be consistent across the site
   • Don't confuse things with clever, funky navigation - users will just get impatient with it. Don't, whatever you do, animate your navigation so it moves around like mercury on a table top
   • If your site sells online, place 'shopping cart' or 'buy now' buttons and links prominently
   • Use drop down menus with caution, the user should be able to see all the options
   • Have visited links change colour.

3. Lack of consistency

   Particularly font types and style of images. You can mix it up to a certain extent, but don't go overboard. Consistency also means making sure that things behave in a way that the user will expect. Previously we've mentioned that people will expect text that is underlined is a link. Make sure that you are also consistent across your own site - if you link partner logos in one place, link every one.

4. PDF catalogues and documents

   PDF catalogues just seem a bit lazy, particularly from the larger warehouse-sized stores. Information in a PDF means the user has to work harder, and change from a web paradigm to a print one. The contents are harder to search and go out of date. If it complements content, fine.

   There are times when a PDF is a good idea, for example when you expect that someone will print the material out (e.g. maps) or you want to retain the format (free e-books). If material is in PDF form, make sure you disclose it.

5. Remain a mystery.

   If you are a small business, putting a picture of you, your team and a bit of information about yourselves shows that there is a 'real' person behind the business and helps to build trust. Visitors like to read about your organisation, who and where you are. If you don't tell them, they'll be asking themselves what have you got to hide?

Also ran's:

• Flash intros
• Audio/music that you can't turn off
• Pop-up ads
• No contact information other than an online form
• Requiring registration before providing any information
• Horizontal scrolling

Tell us what you think

Tell us about the things that you see on a website that will make you go somewhere else!