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Twenty Web Site No No's (What
not to do)
1. Undifferentiated Products or Services
A surprising number of sites offer products and services
with no "online ordering advantage." This is especially true of health-related
items, business services, book and
information sellers and MLM reps. You *must* give your
visitors a *compelling reason* to buy from you online.
2. Large Useless Graphics
"Websters" have the need for speed. Yet far too many
home pages open with Large Useless Graphics (LUGs)
that load slowly and make no contribution to the
effectiveness of the page. In most cases, your *home page*
should be 40K or less in file size -- *including graphics*.
Spinning globes, stock photos, massive company logos,
etc., take up precious real estate that could be better
utilized for benefit-related information.
3. "Welcome to My Site"
Phrases like this, repetition of your company name and
other self-serving statements only cloud your message.
Your home page and virtually every other page on your site
should begin with a compelling, stimulating,
interest-generating, *headline* or opening equivalent that
tells your viewers "what's in it for me if I read this page."
4. Blinkers, Spinners, Scrolling Marquees, Counters,
etc.
There was a time (that lasted about fifteen minutes) when
these things were new and unusual. Now they are pass� --
and in many cases, distracting and annoying. Counters
especially have lost their usefulness. They are self-serving
devices that have no purpose because most visitors really
don't care how many alleged hits your site has gotten.
5. External Links -- Especially on Your Home Page.
This is equivalent to having an office or storefront that leads
to a choice of doors that go to other businesses. When a
potential customer arrives, why give that person an
immediate opportunity to leave and never return? If you
*must* link externally, do it on a page that's buried deep in
your site that can only be accessed after viewing the
important pages on *your* site.
6. Just About Any Award Logo/Banner
Most Web "awards" are dubious at best, and meaningless
to most of your visitors. Awards are self-serving
space-wasters that should be replaced with visitor-focused
information that gives people a reason to stay at your site,
not leave it to investigate the "award" sponsor.
7. Typographical or Grammatical Errors
Seems obvious, yet many, many Web pages contain
common spelling and grammatical errors. Your copy is a
reflection on your professionalism (or lack of it), your
attention to detail (or lack of it) and your commitment to
excellence (or lack of it.) Why give visitors *any* reason to
doubt you? Use spelling and grammar checkers to make
sure your copy is first-rate.
8. Over Use of "We, Our, Us, My, Me, Mine" and Your
Company Name
These are self-serving words that turn off readers. Instead,
you should use words like "you" and "your." Before you
post copy to your site, run a "find and replace" utility and
check for the number of "you-words" against the number of
"us-words." The ratio should be 4-5 "you-words" for every
"us-word."
9. "Name, Rank and Serial Number" Information
It's *amazing* how many home pages begin, "The Acme
Widget Company is a family-run business located in
Cornfield County, Nebraska..." *Who cares?* What does
this have to do with the benefits of your products or
services? If you *must* include boring vital statistics like
these, put them on an "About Us" page and give some
reasons *why* these things are important to readers.
10. Frames
Many older browsers don't support frames. Many search
engines don't index them properly. Many frames require
scrolling to read the text and activate links. Frame scrolling
bars take up precious real estate. Frames don't bookmark
properly.
11. "Under Construction" Signs/Notices
What good does a page that isn't finished do for your
visitors? It just wastes their time and could possibly
frustrate or annoy them. Every page on your site should
have a purpose or reason why it's there. Every page should
also have a "call to action" -- what you want the visitor to
*do* after reading the information.
12. Broken Links
This should be obvious, but broken links are all too
frequent. Broken links are annoying, frustrating and
unprofessional. Why make your visitors mad?
13. Missing Graphics
This should also be obvious, but missing graphics are all
over the Web -- even on "professional" sites whose
principals should know better.
14. Incomplete Contact Information
It's amazing how many companies try to remain
anonymous and then expect people to do business with
them. To maximize your credibility and believability, you
should include complete contact information on *every*
page. Use a physical street address, not a P.O. Box.
Provide a "live" phone number, not a voice mailbox. List
your fax number, and toll-free ordering number if you have
one. And, of course, list an email hotlink to *you*, not your
webmaster.
15. Home Page That "Scrolls Into Oblivion"
Despite the universal quest for information by Websters,
most of them will *not* read long home pages that "scroll
into oblivion." You should break up your home page to a
*maximum* of three complete vertical page scrolls on a 14"
monitor. Give visitors links and benefit-related teasers that
lead to separate pages.
16. Cookie Nags That Appear More Than Once
Many people believe cookies are an invasion of their
privacy. If you must use cookies, don't "nag" your visitors
more than once *per visit* to allow you to set a cookie.
17. Free Offers That Aren't Immediately Fulfilled
You *should* make some kind of free offer on your site that
will allow you to capture visitor names and email
addresses. But you should *only* do this if you can
immediately fulfill your offer. Many sites offer free
consultations or information, then fail to deliver. This can
permanently damage your credibility.
18. Non-Secure or Confusing Ordering Procedures
Many sites have non-secure or confusing ordering
procedures. Better to *not* request credit card info, etc., if
you can't do it securely. Offer a mail-in, call-in or fax-in
alternative. If you have more that 2-3 items for sale, invest
in a shopping cart ordering system. Make it *easy* for
customers to buy from you.
19. Plug-Ins/JavaScript Pop-Up Windows
Most people will *not* take the time to load plug-ins to view
or do something at your site. They'll just click away.
JavaScript pop-up windows can be annoying. Why make it
difficult for visitors to see what you offer?
20. Plagiarized Material
This should be obvious, but many people take copyrighted
material from other sites and pretend it's theirs. Doing this
will eventually bite you and could lead to serious legal
problems. The good news is, most people are flattered to
let you use their material, if you give them proper
attribution.
Article by Nick Nichols, president of The Site Doctor.
Nick Nichols helps get you more customers, who will pay
you more money, more often. He does this through
customer-focused, benefit-laden copywriting for your Web
site! Visit The Site Doctor, or email Nick at
[email protected]. This article has appeared
in Internet Day.
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