Page 21 - Tonilee & Bobbye Social Media Special Edition Oct Nov 2011 (1)

Website Faux Pas:

5 Things NOT to Have on Your Website

When it comes to website design, most of us spend more ing and annoying to the visitor. If your visitor takes the time
time trying to add things to our website than being concerned to open your homepage, respect their time by keeping the
about what things should not be on the website. In today’s pop-ups (usually banner ads) away. Make sure the videos can
highly competitive web world, our website is the single most be turned off.
important communication tool that we have. Our website is our Do NOT use muted, dull colors on your website. Colors illicit
emotion and
the right
colors can be
very effective
in attracting
and even
encouraging
your visi-
tors. Consult
with others
on color
schemes for
your website
to help com-
municate the
right mes-
sage for your
business.
Do NOT use
fonts, graph-
ics or styles
that “date”
your website. San Diego
Be careful of Woman
using clip-art
or cheap-
looking
graphics that 21
diminish your
professional-
ism. Look at
other web-
sites in your
industry and
get ideas of
how to make
storefront, our face, and we have about 5 seconds on average yours look current, contemporary and relevant.
to attract attention and keep it on our site. So, if people are Take a closer look at your website and see if it passes our
critical of our website, it is usually related to something that “faux pas” test. If so, congratulations! If not, we recommend
probably should not be on it. We have a compiled list of our seeking out professionals who can help you achieve the best
top 5 things NOT to have on your website. website design for the image and message you want to por-
Do NOT use excessive text that requires the visitor to read the tray.
page. We recommend having more “white space” than text,
mainly because our world today has a bullet-point mentality. It
is more effective to use short tags that can be quickly seen and
read. If using more text as content, add pictures, images or About the Authors:
even a video to break up the content. Tonilee Adamson and Bobbye Brooks are co-owners of Media
Do NOT use such large graphics that your website takes sev- 4 Women Enterprises, a marketing and media company that
eral seconds to open. People will leave a website quickly if the helps people achieve entrepreneurial success. From website
page is slow to reveal its content. Remember, most of us want design, video production, book publishing and social media
to open a website, scan it quickly and make an assessment, marketing, Tonilee and Bobbye work with individuals and busi-
either favorable or unfavorable, in a matter of seconds. Make nesses of every type. Visit www.media4women.com to learn
sure your website opens instantly with all of the graphics and more about their services.
videos ready to play.
Do NOT use extensive pop-ups, flashing banners, or videos
that cannot be muted. Too much movement can be distract-