1D NT’S

WEB DESIGN8PRESENTS

ANNOYING

1D N’T GET UGLY.Just because your nephew said he could build you a website, doesn’t mean he should. If you wouldn’t allow a non-professional to build your house, you shouldn’t allow one to build your online presence.

You don’t need great design to be successful, but great design can certainly help you succeed.

1DO...Spend your money where it counts...design is one of those things. A visually appealing, easily navigated site will help keep your visitors on longer and coming back more often. Ask the creators of Pinterest.

“ Good design, is good business.-Thomas J. Watson

“48% of people base their opinion of a website on overall design alone. 52% will not return because of overall aesthetics.

2 D N’T CLUTTER.A crowded store can be incredibly difficult to shop and find what you’re looking for. The same issues can apply to an online store or website.

If I can’t find what I’m looking for quickly and easily, I’ll go find it somewhere else.

2DO...Keep it clean by creating lots of white space and streamlining your message.

1. All I need to know is what you do 2. What you’re charging for it 3. And how I can get in touch with you if I need to.

Everything else is space filler.

"78% of client-side respondents stated that their company was

extremely or quite committed to delivering the best online user

experience ."

-Karen Kingston

"Clutter is stuck energy. The word "clutter" derives from the Middle English word "clotter," which means to coagulate - and that's about as stuck as you can get."

3D N’T FLASH ME.There are many ways to bring dynamic and visual elements to your site without the use of Flash. Not only will it unnecessarily increase your loading time, it is not compatible on all mobile platforms.

Additionally, the use of Flash can be annoying if it moves too fast or slow.

3Use templates that support the use of CSS( Cascading Style Sheets) and Sliders. Also use bold images that represent what you’re selling, attention grabbing headlines that hone in your message and CTA (call-to-action) to direct your visitors to the important stuff.

DO...

"The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best, but legendary."

-Sam Walton, Founder of Walmart

It takes 2.6 seconds for that viewers eye to concentrate in a way that

reinforces that first impression.

4D N’T CONFUSE ME.When building your website, you might get tempted to design it the way you think it ought to be, but you should keep in mind that you are not decorating your living room.

Organization is key. There should be a logical flow to your website. Information about you or your business should be found under... About Me...and so on.

4Make your website easy to navigate. Include a search or navigation system for those who would like to find specific information. You can get creative, as long as most of your visitors will get it.

DO...

"Good order is the foundation of all things." -Edmund Burke

Researchers at the Missouri University of Science and

Technology found that visitors spend about 6.44 seconds

studying the menu of a webpage.

5D N’T HURT ME.Using strong colors such as red as a background can cause unnecessary strain to the eyes making it difficult to look at and can even cause headaches.

Additionally, font choice, size and site colors can hugely affect the legibility of your site, which directly affects the amount of time people will stick around. I shouldn’t walk away from your site feeling like crap.

5Use medium to large sized fonts, on a plain white background with a dark font for easy and safe reading.

DO...

"Typography is the craft of endowing human language with a durable visual form."

-Robert Bringhurst

85% of shoppers place color as a primary reason why they buy a particular product...Color increases brand

recognition by 80%. Brand recognition directly links to consumer confidence.

6D N’T BE A TROLL.One shouldn’t have to pay a toll of any kind to enter your website.Unless you’ve got some secret society going or your website is strictly for members only, don’t create barriers of entry by forcing me to sign up by giving my email or signing in with my email or social media accounts. I’ll just find some other bridge to cross.

6Give me the option to opt-in to your newsletter, sign up for an account or choose a membership option once I can see what you’ve got to offer.

DO...

"Walls protect and walls limit It is in the nature of walls that they should fall."

-Jeanette Winterson

98% of respondents in a recent survey said that customer experience was among the top 3 factors when deciding to do business

with a company.

7D N’T PLAY HIDE & SEEK.As soon as I land on your website, I need to find the information I am looking for as soon as possible. The last thing I want to do is spend my time jumping from page to page, link to link, trying to find where you could possibly have placed it.

Additionally, prospective clients or customers often require answers to their questions before making a decision and they should have a quick and easy way to contact you. Not being accessible can cause distrust and uncertainty.

7Include a search box and optimize your site with keywords so that information is easily found when searched. Also include contact information. It’s important you appear open, transparent and available. Have a contact page with a form. Also have several methods of contact such as email, phone number, chat options and of course, social media channels.

DO...

"A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity." -Dalai Lama

"A study of Fortune 500 websites showed that 63% have content above

the fold, 50% feature a scrolling content window of some kind."

8D N’T BLAST ME.Web 2.0 was all about fancy Flash sites accompanied with music to set you in the mood. Well, those days are gone. I am visiting your site for information, products or service, not to boogy to the beat.

Your musical taste may not be received well and while you may think it adds to the user experience, it may do more damage than good. And yes, this includes sites for musical artists.

8Give me the option to play music first, if it’s absolutely essential to getting your message across. This goes for videos as well.

DO...

"When there is noise and crowds, there is trouble; When everything is silent and perfect,there is just perfection and

nothing to fill the air."

-Dejan Stojanovic

“ Consumers have a preference for those marketing channels they feel in control of. They want to have the choice of receiving the messages when it suits their timetable or ignoring them altogether if necessary.

9D N’T BADGE & BOAST.We get it, you’re connected...to alot of different networks. In an attempt to appear legitimate or validate your site, you could end up looking like an obsessed girl scout by littering your site with badges.Even awards can get a little show-offy.

9If you’ve won something, it’s definitely worth mentioning.

Place only the most important badges or awards in a secondary position on your website such as the side bar. Everything else can go in your About Us section where it belongs.

DO...

"Perhaps the less we have, the more we are required to brag."

-John Steinbeck

“ It takes less than two-tenths of a second for an online visitor to form

an opinion about your brand.

0D N’T AD-TACK ME.Hey, it’s cool. We all have to make a living. Ads provide a realistic stream of income especially if your site is heavily trafficked. The thing is, I’m probably on your site for the information you’re providing.

Ad pollution is distracting, especially the ones cloaked as text or jump in front of you like a ninja attack when you least expect it. It’s too aggressive and can affect the visitors experience negatively.

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0Keep your ads relevant and out of the way. Top and side banners should be suffice.

DO...1

“There is no gesture more devastating than the back turning away.”

-Rachel Simmons

81% of consumers are more likely to give a company repeat business

after a good service experience.

1D N’T GET STALE.Design and the way we consume information is always changing, today more rapidly than ever. Technology helps us become more efficient and that is the primary reason you should keep up with it.

Your site doesn’t need to include every new plug-in or trick available but it shouldn’t run or look like you created it 10 or even 5 years ago.

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1Update your look every 3 to 4 years to keep on trend or go classic and simple. Use social media icons and relevant tools such as opt-in boxes, comment sections, suggestion features, on-site sign up forms, on-site shopping carts and add video components to cover all platforms of content delivery. Oh, and once in a blue moon, surprise me with something new. That can be easily done with new content or at least a new perspective on an old topic.

DO...1

“ Become addicted to constant and never-ending self-improvement.”

-Anthony J. D’Angelo

“70% of marketers resoundingly reported they are using website optimization lessons

to inform offline campaigns and other marketing communications.”

2D N’T IGNORE ME.If you’re too busy to answer a question or deal with the concerns of your visitors, you could be leaving great opportunities to cultivate lucrative relationships.

This goes for all kinds of questions, whether it be technical or even a business inquiry. You just never know where these things may lead. If the whole point of your website is offer a service or product,be prepared to offer some kind of customer service.

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2Getting too many questions to handle? You can always outsource that kind of work for pennies. Or you can simply take 10 minutes in the morning each day, to reply. You’d be surprised at how much you can get through. This usually pays off big in the long run.

DO...1

“ Eventually everything connects - people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se.

-Charles Eames

“Its been estimated that 40% of customer support calls could have been avoided if the company had simply provided good

documentation.”

3D N’T BORE ME.Who cares?!!

You do! And it’s your job to make me care. Entrepreneurs are often terrible at explaining exactly what they do in a way that allows the visitor to care or make a decision.

Too much jargon or boring words can easily cause a visitor to lose interest in a matter of seconds.

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3Use words that evoke emotion and passion. If you’re not a word smith, keep your message simple and straight to the point. Images and even icons can also do wonders for getting your message across. You can’t go wrong with that.

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“A picture can say a thousand words, but a few words can change its story.”

-Sebastyne Young

“Visitors spend about 5.59 seconds reading written content.”

4D N’T GROUND ME.We have gone mobile. We are constantly on the go, with our noses constantly stuck to our phones and tablets, having conversations, texting, watching videos and shooting selfies. Today, we can conduct multimillion dollar businesses from a phone. Your website should certainly be easy enough to navigate when I’m on the go.

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4Go mobile friendly. There are plenty of template designs that have made the switch so there should be no excuse.

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“46% of mobile users report having difficulty interacting with a web page, and 44%

complain that navigation was difficult..”

-Tim Berners-Lee

“The Mobile Web Initiative is important; information must be made seamlessly available on any device.”

62% of companies that designed a website specifically for mobile had increased sales.

5D N’T BE AN EGO-MANIAC.I’m sure you’re great, but what have you done for someone else lately and what can you do for me?

When it comes to telling people what you do, it can seem as though the logical thing to do is talk about yourself and what you’ve done, but it’s like being that guy at the party that talks only about himself.

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5Discuss what you do, but talk about how you have helped others. We go on websites firstly for information. The more helpful information you’re able to impart, the more grateful your visitors. When you can talk about how you’ve helped someone, others can see how you can help them as well and that is worth it’s weight in gold.

DO...1

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”

-Terullian

“A Gallup survey suggested that a customer who is “emotionally connected”

to your place of business will spend 46% more money...”

6D N’T MAKE ME BOUNCE.Bounces happen for many reasons. Either your site took too long to load, was too ugly to deal with or there were too many choices to make for them to actually make one.

The whole point is, you didn’t deliver the instant I clicked on your link, so naturally...I have to bounce.

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6Track your bounce rate with Google Analytics. The typical website has a bounce rate of about 50% to 60%. You should know what yours is and get it down to 30% and less. As discussed, make your website visually appealing, simple to navigate and direct traffic to where you want them to go.

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“The change in a website bounce rate spikes to 100% when a page takes 4

seconds or more to load. It jumps to 150% if a page takes 8 seconds or more to

load..”

7D N’T GET ME WRONG.If you don’t know me, as a visitor, then you’re most likely not going to be able to deliver on my needs. You should know your visitors down to their hobbies, age range, income, fears and challenges.

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7Ask your visitors questions and connect with them on as many different social channels as possible. Get to know them like you know yourself so that you can give them exactly what they want. That benefits both your visitor and your pockets.

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“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”-Albert Einstein

 “Only 55% of companies are currently conducting any online

user experience testing.

8D N’T MAKE ME WAIT...Wasted time is one of those things you can’t make up for. In this fast-paced driven society, instant gratification is the norm and there is very little patience for unnecessary loading time.

There are many reasons your site could be taking too long to load, from heavy pictures to bad coding, embedded media or traffic spikes.

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8Keep large photos to a minimum. If you have a portfolio that requires lots of images, compress and scale them down before loading. Remove bulky coding including things like line breaks and spacing and try storing media on your own server, if you can.

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“Lost time is never again found.”-Benjamin Franklin

40% of people will abandon a web page if it takes more than three seconds to load.64% of shoppers did not make a purchase because of a slow site.

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/160988/web-influences-trillion-dollar-retail-sales.html#axzz2a0Th0me7

http://www.keynote.com/docs/reports/Keynote-2012-Mobile-User-Survey.pdf

http://econsultancy.com/reports/user-experience-survey-report

http://blog.marginmedia.com.au/Our-Blog/bid/87385/10-Mobile-Web-Design-Statistics-All-Marketers-Should-Know-About

http://econsultancy.com/reports/user-experience-survey-report

http://econsultancy.com/reports/user-experience-survey-report

http://www.fortune3.com/blog/2012/03/web-design-study-first-impressions/

http://blog.kissmetrics.com/color-psychology/

http://blog.kissmetrics.com/happy-campers/?wide=1

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