The Top 5 Website Mistakes

Sometimes what isn't present is just as important as what is.  A website which lacks the following mistakes keeps its visitors - and its owner - happy.

Inappropriate focus on search engines

We've all seen websites with text that bends over backwards to constantly fit in keywords.   Writers of such websites cram keywords into every sentence whether their English professors like it or not.   But those committing these blunders in the name of search-engine placement may be doing more harm than good.

At the very least, such shenanigans leave a bad taste in the mouth of visitors. An over-keyworded website will be regarded as unprofessional since page readability suffers.   At worst, the site could be ignored by search engines.  Search engines compete to deliver quality search results to their users; it's in their interests to filter out the tricksters.

The other side of the search engine coin is also unpleasant.   A website which entirely fails to feed keywords and page titles to search engines may find itself hungry for visitors.   Searchable websites:

• have page titles which contain a short list of keywords separated by commas (Note: the title appears in the web browser, not on the visible page like a header does),


• contain keywords coded into each page (this step isn't visible),


• curry favor from the search-engine gods by having keywords correspond with readable page text.
  
  

Needless flash movies

Many websites have a flash intro as the first page of their website.   Others sprinkle flash movies throughout the site.   Except in certain circumstances, flash movies are an unnecessary annoyance.

One such forgivable website might be a wedding photographer's.  In this case, visitors want to see plenty of pictures, and a flash player can deliver them in a compelling way.

But many website owners feel a great need for flash without a great reason.  Visitors lacking the flash plug-in usually see only an ugly red "X".   Sites which require a plug-in download could very easily send its visitors packing.

Flash movies play like TV commercials.  Many visitors simply change the channel.

Pages which are painful to change or update

Whether the pain comes from difficulty or expense isn't important.  What matters is that needed changes aren't happening.

According to Google, websites which get updated periodically favor better in search results than those that have been abandoned by their creators.

Websites that are difficult or expensive to change usually feature inaccurate and dated information.  Spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and poorly organized pages are seemingly etched in stone, perhaps forever.

Why?  Often, a site's owner does not control the website, and must pay big fees to a website designer to make any changes.  When owners do control their websites, they often lack the computer-savvy needed to make changes.

Change?  It's a swearword to many website owners. 

Hyperlink overuse

When people get frustrated with a website they exit.  When it's not crystal clear what the visitor should click on next, frustration occurs.

Hyperlink overuse can ruin a website's organization.  If every other sentence has a link to some other page, frustration occurs in the mind of readers who just want some quick info.  With all those links leading to even more links, it's easy for visitors to become lost.  But visitors know how to escape the hyperlink labyrinth.  They close the browser and end the game.

Lack of substance

Many websites miss the important point that sites can be used to host information or valuable resources that visitors will appreciate.  A problem exists when all of a website's pages read like a commercial.  People search the Internet for information, not commercials.

Websites that give visitors something besides a sales pitch are doing themselves a big favor.  A website with authoritative information on appropriate subjects will attract people it wouldn't have otherwise and give all visitors a real reason to return.