Ultimate Web Design Errors

When you’re talking about web design in London, Sydney, New York City (or any of the other notables) you expect some level of devious genius which draws the eye and proceeds to brainwash a potential buyer into purchasing a landfill when they were initially after a new litter tray for the family cat. Sadly, however, some designers believe that sending their potential clients into a seizure with bright flashing lights is the way to go. Where this fails is when you’re not a rampaging gypsy or the owner of a strip club, and in the event that you’re attempting to have your product taken seriously – it may be time to get back to the drawing board.

In danger of sounding a little like an angry dwarf on a soap box, let’s examine some of the digital faux pas which rookie designers and electronic torturers have been engaged in, and see where we can lay some much needed blame.

I hate your PDF’s

Where is the sense in utilizing an application which search engines consider to be alien technology? PDF’s are simply not compatible with search engine functions, and most of the controls which users enjoy to speed along their research are as effective as investing in your daughter’s art career. What’s the moral of the story? Don’t use a PDF to sell your site or product because people will skip it while cursing you in tandem. PDF’s are for printing information, so pick some other ‘norm’ to rebel against you wild anarchist you.

Thanks for the nap

Your ‘About Us’ page is so very interesting I could read it for hours. Thank goodness it’s 15 pages long and consists of a wall of static text so that I don’t have to make difficult decisions like – getting round to making a purchase or investing in eye drops. Interactivity is where it’s happening so try to use a little forward thinking and don’t stone wall potential customers with your beautifully scripted life story – we don’t care that much and the human attention span is about as stable as my Prozac popping niece Sue. Tell us how long you’ve been around, why you’re the best, where to sign up - and then go away.

Banner blinkers

As predators evolve methods of capturing their fluffy, wide eyed prey, so do the uncooperative little floor rugs develop defences against them. The same has occurred in the on-line marketing world and consumers have now developed an immunity to banner ads. Essentially, the viewer’s peripheral vision detects anything in a hovering box type format and sends a message to the brain that, in that direction, lays pain. Bearing this evolved Spider Sense in mind, it would behove a designer to ensure that his site has no resemblance to the old fashioned, digital hard sell technique of banners – which are generally the social equivalent of a flasher attempting to sell you the peace of mind of a closed trench coat.

Guest post by: Warren Kings is an experienced web copy writer with many years writing for a web design London Company.

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