by Mary Lake

Created on: January 06, 2009   Last Updated: December 04, 2011

Everyone knows what a bad website looks like when they see it. It stands out as being the worst because it is visually loud, filled with clutter, and you can not find the information you are looking for. However, some sites are not "bad" at first glance, but may still have a faux pas or two that can turn a visitor away. Keep in mind custom websites are not the only ones that can have mistakes that drive visitors away, templates can be equally unfriendly. So what are the most common mistakes, how do you avoid them, and how do you fix them?

On average, a viewer has a 90 second attention span once they arrive on a website. And when a visitor first arrives at a site, they want to see the information they are searching for immediately - meaning they want to see it without having to scroll down on the page. Large headers can be cosmetically appealing and contain great designs, but are a nightmare when it comes to keeping people on your site. Remember, viewers go to a website to see what information it has to offer, not how decorative the header is or can be. When your site design is completed take and objective look - what is the first thing you see when you link to the site? Are you seeing information or is your eye drawn to the header. If you keep getting drawn to the header design, either simplify it or decrease the size.

With a visitors attention span being so short, information the visitor is looking for should not be hidden it should be the first thing they see. This information should be in the first article or posting or found through a visable link. For example, if a site has a posting about free blogging websites the information should not be at the bottom of the page. If it is at the bottom of the webpage, there should be a link that immediately takes the visitor to that information at the top of the page. If a visitor does not find what they are looking for right away, they have no reason to stay.

Advertisements are a source of income for websites, but it is one thing to have a few advertisements and another to have a site made of 50% or more of advertisements. Blinking advertisements are a huge distraction as well they tend to be a huge distraction and even an annoyance. Remember, the prime focus of a website is to sell your product and the essence of you if you drive views away with a million ads or blinking banners, they will never find what you have to offer.

Finally, (and most importantly) the information and articles presented to visitors must be readable. Once someone is on your site, if they can't read it they will never stay. Avoid fancy fonts, ones that are too small or too large between 12 to 14 works the best, and ones that do not contrast enough with the background to be read easily.

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