1) Counting on search engines to drive traffic to your site

Years ago, search engines were the ticket to your web site's success. Simply list your web site address and basic information, drop a few keywords into your pages and you're set. Not anymore! Search engines are overwhelmed with the number of pages and sites out there. Many have started pay-for-ranking systems that make competition difficult for the business owner with a smaller advertising budget. Sheer numbers make it extremely unlikely that your business will reach the top rankings, say the first two pages, at the major search engines unless your business is highly specialized. Generally, your web site must appear on the first two pages of a search to bring in traffic. So what do you do to drive visitors to your site? Trading links with sites in your category, but not direct competitors is a great place to start. Join web rings and add your listing to special interest directories. Use traditional marketing methods to steer prospects to your site by listing your web address on all your marketing literature. Local and regional directories, which are springing up everywhere, give you a better chance of appearing when a prospect performs a search. Despite the lack of geographical relevance on the internet, many people still feel more comfortable doing business locally.

2) Forgetting compatibility with different browser

Test, test and test some more. Just because your site looks great in the latest version of Internet Explorer does not mean it will even be legible in another browser, such as Netscape. The interpretation of your web pages happens on each user's computer. That means that the user's operating system (e.g. Mac), browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Opera), browser version, monitor resolution and individual settings all determine what they see. Colors, font sizes, alignment and relative position of items on a page can all vary dramatically. In the worst instance, a minor error that is forgiven by one browser, and therefore not noticeable by you, can cause the page not to display at all.

3) Burdening visitors with large graphics and sounds

File sizes of photos destined for hard copy applications and those for the web are drastically different! Adjusting the desired display size in your web development software does NOT change your file size. Be sure to run your photos through a photo program that makes them web-friendly before adding them to your web page. Nothing will make web visitors run faster than a huge download time caused by that giant photo squeezing through their tiny modem connection. Sound files typically fall into the category of modem breakers. If the sound isn't key to your message, why slow your page down with it? Besides, your visitor may have music on in the background and will be annoyed by your audio intrusion.

4) Confusing your audience with inconsistent style and navigation

Each new web site requires the visitor to learn the basics of getting around. Where are the buttons or links? What do each of them correspond to? Maintain a consistent layout and navigation mechanism throughout your site, and you'll keep your visitors much happier.which means they'll stay longer and want to come back.

5) Stranding visitors in dead end pages

Keep your visitors by making every page an invitation to a next step. If you are selling, make sure an "order" button or "view cart" button appears wherever the customer may be ready to buy. If you have a side track, such as ordering policy or shipping information, open it in a separate smaller window so the visitor doesn't lose his place and can continue on right where he left off in the main window.

6) Overwhelming them with animation overkill

Too many flashing, jumping, excited graphics all over your page detract from your message and the reason visitors are there. How many web sites have you visited so you could see the cute little animated arrow turning and swirling around?

7) Mystifying visitors with chaotic content

Because no physical reference point exists, individuals can have more difficulty navigating web pages than they do reading printed booklets. "It was toward the front of the manual" loses its meaning on web sites. This makes organizing your information in a clear format essential. Before building a single web page, try making a flow chart of all your topics. Then sort all your proposed content into those clearly defined categories.

8) Preventing them from reading your message: font trouble

Try changing the font size preferences in your own browser. See how your web pages look with the smallest font and with the largest. Alignment may not be at all what you expect, or what you had in mind when you built your page. For example, text that sits to the right of a picture in one font size may start wrapping below it when viewed in a larger font size. Remember to use fonts that are suitable for screen viewing. Typical sans serif fonts are Verdana, Helvetica, Arial and Tahoma. Professional graphic designers generally recommend sticking to a couple of different fonts on a given project; use one for headers and the other for general text. Avoid underlining text, as it is easily mistaken for a hyperlink. Most important of all, stay away from italics of any kind! Italics will bring your readability down to the level of hieroglyphics.

9) Distracting them with backgrounds

Way back when every page had a guestbook and visitor counter, folks discovered how many cool backgrounds they could create. Unfortunately the trend got so out of hand that on many web sites the content became incidental to the really amazing background. Make sure your background doesn't drown out your content and make sure your text remains readable at different font sizes against your background. The keyword here is "subtle".

10) Failing to provide useful information

Remember that web surfers are looking for information. A web site that offers value by providing useful information will be more popular than one that looks like a giant billboard.

Most of all, enjoy your project. Building a web site can be an exciting, rewarding experience.

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