Apart from content, web design sets apart your website from others. Web design tactics sets the truth that no two web sites are created equal. This principle has pushed some web designers to employ tactics to increase traffic. Some succeed but some fail, because they employed tactics that instead encourage visitors—it turned them off. Don’t fall into using annoying web tactics by learning the top six tactics to avoid.
Online reading using PDF files
Using PDF files to let visitors read more about the site is a bad move. Users hate PDF because it breaks the flow of scanning through the site. Have you read a PDF lately? Surely you will agree PDF is very hard to navigate and it feels like a blob of hard copy that is surely to sting your visitors. Although most PDF files do have substantial content but the time it takes to navigate really drains once patience especially if the online visitor does not have all the time in the world to read it.
Hard to read text
This is the mantra of web design in relation to text; make it interesting. Text on a website is easy to mess up because it can be boring, an eye sore and intimidating. It is important to always think about writing for online consumption and not for a research paper. Use subheads, short paragraphs, bullet points and use simple words. Do not impress your visitors with high-falluting words, it won’t work. Your text has to be something that is highly-comprehensible to all your target readers. Keep in mind that the information you have on your site is the main reason why people visit your site. But, if it takes a genius for them to decipher your text, consider changing your website.
Using Flash players
Flash is nice to look at and adds a premium feel to your web design. But Flash can bite you from the rear. Flash software needs to be updated so it can run properly using a laptop or desktop. With more people accessing web sites using mobile devices, Flash is not worth the effort. Furthermore, if you tell your readers that the information on your website is best viewed using flash player or any other software stop expecting that your site will rank number 10 in Google.
Forcing users to register
Using forced registration is a tactic that websites use to build their mailing list. Sites use this before letting users see the “good stuff” in the site. In reality, this makes people become annoyed and would most likely leave the site. It is better to let the visitor see what you can offer before asking them to register for more information. This will give your readers an impression that you are more sincere about helping them rather than just earning money from them.
Poor website navigation
Poor planning often leads to bad layout of web pages, which speaks ill of your web design tactic. It tells the user that you never had the decency to think about how users will interact with your site. This will annoy people because they will need to look for resources around and ultimately push them away. When designing your website, try to imagine yourself as an online visitor. Imagine yourself navigating the page. If it seems difficult or not user-friendly for you then do not hesitate to find other effective tools for navigation.
Banner ads, ads everywhere
You may think that you can earn a lot if you pepper your web page with banner ads. Not to burst your bubble, that works against you instead for you. Ads need visibility to work. If an ad is not visible no matter the number it will not create money for you. Users are annoyed with too much ad banners where each one has a life of its own. The more banner ads you place, the more possible it would be for your online visitors to experience stress or anxiety when visiting your site. Therefore, it is important to use banner ads sparingly.
When you are engaged in web design it is important to think things through. A well-thought web site is a step towards retaining users and making them come back for more. Annoying your users is the last thing you should do or else it will be the death knell for your website.
