Building a Website - What Not to Have on Your Website

There are a ton of great articles out there about how to build a website, what to put on it, how to add great content, etc. I have even written some of them. In my countless hours of surfing through websites though, I have come to notice something. Some websites need an article on what not to put on their website.

This is that article.

Building a Website - Your Photo on the Home Page

Unless you're super famous, odds are that nobody came to your website to see you. They came to your website to see the business, so design your websites home page accordingly. A photo of yourself is not a bad thing to have. Just remember to put it in the right place like the About Us section. Ask yourself, "What does the customer want to see?"

Your website should be all about what the customer wants. Not what you want the customer to see.

Building a Website - Too many bells and whistles

There are a few basic things most internet users don't like when they visit a website, one of the being audio. Audio, whither it is music, voice, or god forbid polyphonic sounds, are just annoying. Especially when there is no obvious way to turn it off. This is a sure fire way to get visitors to leave you website fast. If you want to put audio on the website let the viewer decide if they want to hit the play button.

Photos are a great part of any website. When used correctly they can add character, keep the viewers attention, and more. When you start adding too many pictures to your website it can begin to look like a glorified web album. There is no need to post all 124 pictures from the company pinic. One or two would get the point across.

Videos take a fast internet connection, and believe it or not there is still a world of people still on dial up. If your website is video heavy some viewers might not even be able to see your website. Use videos with caution.

Building a Website - Complicated Menu

Don't you just hate it when you come across a website that seems really cool, but you just can't seem to find your way around it? So do must web surfers. There is a reason most of the big websites only have five or six sections for website navigation. Because the more sections you have on your website the more confusing it gets. You want your visitors to be able to find their way around your website without even trying.

Spend some time thinking about what you need to show your visitors and then come up with a logical way to put them into your websites navigation. The easier your website is to use the longer your visitors will stay on it.

Building a Website - Too Much Hype

Talking up your business is a necessity, but if you talk it up too much on your website you may be giving visitors the wrong idea. While you think you are ranting and raving about how great your business is your visitor may look at as something that is too good to be true.

What do people do when the think something is too good to be true? Most of them move on to something else. So check your content to make sure you aren't going overboard. If you can afford it, hire a copy editor to go over the content on your website. This way you can get a professional unbiased opinion.

Building a Website - Bad Links

No one likes the 404 error page or dead end links. Find a program that checks your website links for you. Once you have all your core links setup inside your website they should be fine for a while. What you really need to check regularly are your out going links. People change names, addresses, domains, and more everyday. I would recommend checking your outbound links once a month and your website links every other month.