Web Design Errors

Poor web design practice -- broken tags, lack of proofreading and so forth -- can powerfully impact your viewership, whether you're doing business or merely maintaining a personal blog.

Here are some common mistakes.

• Anonymity - Even in cases where the author wishes to keep their identity concealed, some means of contacting the site's owner should be provided if only for maintenance purposes.
• Bad Netiquette - Avoid bad grammar and misuse of capitals.
• Bloated Link Lists - A string of several links should be organized into sections.
• Broken HTML - Nothing says poor quality web site like 1-inch columns several feet long, or a string of garbled HTML hanging out in the middle of a paragraph.
• Broken Links - Don't leave out-of-date or mistyped links on your site.
• Browser Compatibility - If your site doesn't function with a user's preferred browser, that user will not stay or visit again.
• Excessive Plug-in Requirements - Many web users resent multimedia requirements. Also, avoid any music or videos that auto-play on page load. Deafening or annoying users is definitely a minus!
• Long Paragraphs - Organize your thoughts or ideas into bite-sized portions.
• Missing Alt Tags - Images should have an ALT tag with alternative describes text for users who do not wish to load images or have special accessibility needs.
• Missing or Inaccurate TITLE tags - Each HTML page should have a unique title that also makes it stand out in a list of links or bookmarks.
• Non-descriptive or Misleading Anchor Text - Anchor text should describe the content of the page being linked.
• Non-HTML Email Addresses - Email addresses should be noted using the mailto option in the A tag.
• Overuse & Abuse of Advertising - If your site makes use of advertising it should flow within the site and be inobtrusive.
• Overuse of Social Media - Your site navigation should not be a laundry list of social networking site links.
• "Mystery Meat" Navigation - Using flashy navigation only works if each item still has a clear purpose.
• Unlabeled Media Links - If you're linking to PDFs, videos or other media, indicate this in the link text.

Here are some more resources on designing good sites:

• How to design a good web siteAtilde - a guide from LSCR.
• Design Your Own Site - Tips & Tricks
• Spicing Up Your Site - Web Design Reference.
• Making Your Web Site Accessible -Details about accommodating users.
• Mobile Devices - Guidelines to designing sites for mobile visitors.