Posts tagged 'bad design'

1. You talk about yourself

How many times have you seen this? ‘Barratt and Bloggins was formed in 1982 and has successfully been delivering award-winning cutting edge solutions for our clients for the last 25 years.’

Blah, blah, blah.

Here’s the thing: people visiting your website only care about themselves. They want to know what you’re going to do for them; how quickly you’re going to do it; how it’s going to save them time; how it’s going to get them more clients; earn them more money; make them thin. Whatever. You get the picture. It’s all about them. Not you.

 

2. It’s difficult to buy anything

Your visitors love what you sell. Well, at least they’re quite interested in what you sell. And they might just want to buy something from you. So why make it so hard for them? Yes, Whistles, I’m talking about you.

Poor navigation, difficult to find products, hidden delivery costs and a ten minute check out process does not make a good shopping experience.

Your customers want to find products easily, throw them in a basket, go to the checkout, and pay. So let them do that.

 

3. You love your web designer more than your customer

Yep, your designer may be quirky, work in Hoxton and have won some award from Design Week. But is he designing that swanky website for your customers or his portfolio?

Think about your audience. What age are they? Where will they be viewing your site? Remember not everyone will have a huge screen, Flash, and a high speed connection. Nor will they have all the time in the world to wait for it to load. So what exactly were you thinking Thomas Edison?

 

4. You stop them getting to the good stuff with stupid intro pages

‘Skip this’ is the most clicked link on the Web after ‘Click here’. Would you go to Selfridges and be happy to stand outside the door for ten minutes waiting to be let in? No, you wouldn’t. So why delay your customers getting to your website?

Check this out for the most hellish intro ever. Not sure hellish was the look they were going for.

 

5. You don’t have a web designer at all

Need a website? Oh I’ll do it myself. After all, how difficult can it be? Yeah, Lings Cars, how difficult can it be? Let’s pack a few more moving things in there shall we?

If you don’t value your business enough to have a professional, clean looking website, why should potential customers value your business? Yes, you can get websites designed for £200. It doesn’t mean you should.

 

6. They can’t call you

It doesn’t matter how small or large your business, your phone number should be easy to find; top right is ideal. Sometimes the answer really isn’t in the FAQs. And no, your visitor doesn’t want to fill a form in, or send an email, or write a letter. They just have a really quick question that needs a really quick answer. So make your number really visible.

 

7. They don’t know what to do next

So your customers have read the words and they like the pictures. Now what? Don’t leave them hanging. Tell them what to do next with a call to action. Buy Now, Click Here, Download Free E-book, Check Availability, Call Now, Register Now, Get A Free Trial, Sign-Up, Join Now, Get Free Quote.

 

Anything I’ve missed? Share in the comments.