Even More Web Site Design Mistakes
A Web Hosting Article Contributed by Frances Rhea
Mistakes in Web Site Design
If you have read any of the previous articles on web site design mistakes, you know that there are lots of things that can and do irritate your visitors. Our list is not finished yet. Here are more mistakes!
Avoid Background Images in Your Web Site Design
Background images can be okay if your image is not busy or dark. Using a photo or a busy image will make your page unreadable for your visitor. They are best avoided.
Don't Use All Capital Letters
The use of capitals is good for emphasize and title elements. Long sentences or a paragraph in all caps is hard to read.
Use Italics Sparingly
To draw attention to some text you can use italics. It does make text harder to read. Only use italics for one or two words.
Bold Text
Just like all caps and italics, it is harder to read. Bold, italics or capitals are all ways to bring attention. If everything is the same, it loses impact.
Borders on Linked Graphics
Graphics can be links when you put a link tag around the image. The browser default surrounds the image with a border. If your image is a button, it should look like a button.
To get rid of the border, add this code inside your image tag: border="0".
Generally a button is any image that has bevels or a 3d look to them. The best way to determine what a button looks like is to consider your web site design. If you underline your links then any text that is underlined will be perceived as a link. When you visit other web sites, pay attention to how they do things. Notice if their site is easy to understand or hard to get around. Remember, always try to make everything as clear as possible to your visitors. What may be obvious to you when you design the web site may not be obvious to your visitors.
Use Alternate Text for Your Images
Alt text is inserted in your image tags. It is used by text only browsers used by the blind visitors. The text in your image tag is read instead of displaying the images. Make these tags meaningful information. It will also help you with search engines. The alt text is also displayed as a tool tip.
Avoid Too Many Colors in Your Web Site Design
The use of color is one way that people identify things. It is important to keep the color scheme of your web site design limited to three or four colors. Use these colors consistently throughout your web site design unless it is to denote a major section change. The standard colors of blue, red and purple can be varied to indicate your link colors. Changing these colors can confuse your visitors and that will not know what links they have visited and which ones they have not. They could get tired of searching for the information they want and decide to give up.
