Our last post focused on ways of selecting an appropriate theme for your WordPress site. Today we will go over a few things to avoid in terms of web design in general.

Terrible Content

The quality of your content may not be TERRIBLE, or maybe it is, but that is a strong word to be throwing around. However, it goes into that territory if it is unclear. A reader should know exactly what the website is all about within a few seconds.

Content blunders to avoid: 

• Poor grammar and spelling. Nothing makes you look more unprofessional. Do a spell check, ask a friend for an edit favor, or just reread your content a few times!
• Fancy or tiny fonts. If it is difficult to see, most people will skip over it. 
• Rambling and unclear structure. If your content is all over the place, people will be unsure about what it is they are reading. Give your website a purpose.

Frustrating Navigation

 Navigation can be frustrating if your viewers have to go through a maze to find something as simple as your contact information.

Things that make navigation impossible:

• Dead links. Make sure all of your links work and direct the viewer to appropriate places
• Poorly ordered links. Keep things in order from the most relevant to the least. Decide what a viewer will find important. Most people want easy access to the home page, what you do, and contact information.
• Layout is important. Over crowding, using buttons, and drop down menus are to be avoided. This creates a poor user experience and can be quite annoying

Resolution

Poor resolution may make all of the time you put into design pointless. The most common screen resolution currently 1024 x 768 pixels. If your website exceeds this, it may lead to unnecessary horizontal scrolling which may cause some readers to leave.

Resolution solutions:

• Google Analytics can provide information on  the most common resolution used by your viewers
• W3Schools give statistics regarding who is using what browser
• BrowserShots lets you type in the URL and displays screen shots from a wide selection of browsers

Avoid Annoyances

No one wants to be bombarded by pop-up ads and audio files. Nothing is more unsettling than trying to discreetly browse during work hours, only to have your computer start blasting Harry Belefonte's Jump in the Line against your will. Otherwise, the musical selection would have been fine.

This is Annoying:

• Advertising. Pop-up adds are always annoying. Google AdWords will often put competitors' ads next to your content. Never try to advertise within the content itself. Product placement is not that easy. This may make viewers take your content less seriously. 
• Audio. If your website is dedicated to your band or venue, this is completely appropriate. However, arrange your audio files into a playlist and allow the viewer to decide when they are played. Do not have music that automatically plays. 
• Flash. If it is absolutely necessary, use it. However, it will slow the load time, occasionally appear goofy or gaudy, and may not properly load on mobile devices. 
• Do not ask a viewer to sign up or subscribe unless absolutely necessary. If they do need to fill out anything, keep it simple. You do not need to know everything about them.

Become a pro at avoiding annoyances in web design here.

Clutter

A cluttered website is difficult to read and does not come off as professional. White space is your friend!

Reducing Clutter:

• Break pages into smaller sections and avoid putting your content all on the same page
• Keep your fonts limited to two or three
• Space your images appropriately