8 Website mistakes and how to avoid them

Whether you're looking to launch a new website or already have an online presence, you need to know the pitfalls that will stop your website from working hard for you. From the technical issues that will stop people being able to access your site, to attracting the right sort of visitors, we look at the top 8 mistakes you can make with a website - and how to avoid them.

If you are about to build a website, then considering these before doing anything could save you a lot of headaches and money down the line. If you already have a website but it isn't working for you, then a review of how your website was commissioned and built could help shed light on where your site is failing you.

Getting the wrong person to build it
Unfortunately, in many cases, the wrong person is you.
It's best to get a professional in to do it. However, making the decision to use a professional web designer is just the start of the process. What kind of web designer are you going to use – a one man band or an established agency? It's worth shopping around and being honest with the companies you talk to about your requirements and limitations - if you've got a budget of £500, it's pointless going to an agency. Conversely, if you're looking for hands-on client service for websites to be built to tight timescales, a one-man band working out of his bedroom might not satisfy your requirements. Be realistic.
Without a proper brief it's almost impossible for your designer to give you an accurate quote or timescales
You need to think about what you want the site to achieve, what functionality you require, what you must have and what you could lose if you find your budget isn't quite enough. Be honest with your designer about your budget.

Forgetting your audience
Put yourself in your visitor's shoes and take a critical look at your site. Can your target market 'recognise itself' when they're on your site? People shop around now online, and if your website doesn't stand up in comparison to your competitors, then it's potentially worthless.

Design crimes
Whilst design is a subjective thing, there are some fundamental things to avoid on the web that we see every day. Avoiding them will automatically give you an advantage.
The problem with intro screens is your visitor came to see your website, not an animated intro. Get rid of it and get them into your content straight away.

Linear websites
A website is not a Powerpoint presentation so don't try to get people to use it that way. Search results can lead people in at any page of your website (if it's built correctly) so make sure they can find their way around it easily.

Non-standard navigation
Unless you have a really good reason, don't deviate from what people expect to see when they get to a site.

Bad use of Flash
Where animation adds nothing to the visitors' experience or ease of use of a site, ditch it.
Poor imagery
We see this all the time: Badly selected photos or cheap looking clip-art images. There are very inexpesive photo libraries out there with millions of images, for example www.istock.com. Use them!

Not thinking about the updating of your website
Who is going to update your site? Learn from other people's mistakes. Nothing looks more dated than a news section with the most recent article from 6 months ago. Think about how you are going to update your site when you brief your designer.
Whilst you may not want to sell online or set up a members' bulletin board now, you may do in the future – so try to think about where your site is going and what you might want from it in 6 months.

Using modular development platforms such as Drupal allows you to start with a relatively simple website but allows you to add features in the future without needing to rebuild the site.
Has your website been built in a search engine friendly way? Do your web designers really understand SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)? Are you going to be driving traffic using pay-per click advertising – if so, can you easily add landing pages?