A Complicated Navigation System

One of the worst mistakes you can make with a web site is to have poor or complicated navigation.  The best web sites are those with the simplest navigation methods.  Simple navigation does not mean a simple-looking web site.  In fact, the most professional websites often have the least complicated navigation systems. 

One of the biggest drawbacks to having a complicated navigation system is the probability that some of the links will break down.  It becomes very hard, if not impossible, to make changes to a website that has such complicated navigation.  Making a change to content on one page can mess up the links if you aren’t careful.  One of the worst things you can do is have your potential customers try to click on a link that goes nowhere. 

Eliminate the chance for problems with navigation by using simple navigation systems.  If you are making your own website always plot it out in flow-chart form before implementing it.  This will help to ensure that everything links properly.  Have someone else look at your chart before you use it to ensure that it not only works properly but also that it will look good. 

One of the best ways to provide a clean looking and smooth running site is to use the same set of navigation buttons throughout the site.  Place the same buttons on each page so that the site can easily be navigated.  Users will get a quick understanding of the working of your site and can concentrate on the content instead of looking for how to get around. 

On each page be sure to put a link to the home page.  If you have many pages of content it is easy to get lost far away from the home page.  Instead of using the “back” button on the browser it is much easier and efficient for the users to click on the “home” button so they can start over if need be.  Don’t provide too many buttons or places for users to click.  This can get confusing and muddles up the site making it look unprofessional. 

Research other sites with similar content to see how they deal with navigation.  You may be able to combine certain areas under one button and then break them down later on in the site.  Most people can easily deal with about 5 buttons to click on.  As you add more than that you are adding not only more complexity to the site but are also risking the integrity of the function.

Always Copyright Your Website – Avoid Thieves

Once you have your website online and have written all the copy for it be sure that nobody takes it away.  If you have particularly good copy you can be sure that others with similar products or services to offer may find your site and try to use your copy. 

The first thing to do to avoid thieves is to copyright your website.  Always use the copyright words at the bottom of each page.  You may also want to include verbiage such as “no part of this website can be used without the written permission of the owner”.  While this alone can’t totally prevent someone from taking your words or pictures and using them as their own it can be somewhat of a deterrent.

You can also protect people from actually using the copy and paste features by embedding your copy or photos into the site.  If you are using a web designer express your concern about copyright infringement and ask them to prepare the website so that it is as secure as possible. 

Don’t be afraid to post content on your site for fear others will take it.  If you are afraid of thieves try using special tactics for some of your more important materials.  One such idea is to allow only those who sign up for your newsletter or register to your site to view certain pages of information.  Another way is to provide some copy via newsletter.  Of course, these still don’t prevent someone from taking your copy if they want to.

What should you do if you find out that someone stole your information and is using it as their own?  First, be sure about what you found.  If you see your exact copy being used on another site you can confront the person.  Send them an email letting them know that your material is copyrighted and that they do not have permission to use it or post it on their site.  Give them until a specific date to remove the material from their site. Often this is enough to scare the person into removing your material. 

However, if they still don’t remove it you may want to take further action. You can consult with an attorney who specializes in copyright law.  Be sure that you have a clear copy of your site in paper format showing the date it was written and posted.  One way to ensure this is to mail a copy to yourself.  Keep it, unopened, until it is needed as proof.  The postmark will serve as the date it was copyrighted.

Web Design - Absence of Graphics

Websites are designed with the primary aim of piquing visitor interest and converting them to potential customer of your products and services. For this reason making the website attractive is very important. Graphics and images are very useful in decorating website. However images and graphics may both enhance or decrease the appeal of your website. For this reason you have to be very careful in the use of graphics or colorful images in your site.

One main thing should be kept in mind before placing graphics or images in a website. Graphics and images, especially animation slows down the site. Research suggests that an average user spends less than ten seconds waiting for a site to download. So if your site takes longer than that to download then chances are high that you will get very few visitors. For this reason images should be used sparingly. Generally the JPG formats are best for website graphics while the GIF format works best for menu bars and buttons. If you state the dimension of the graphic before placing the image in a website then the browser will know beforehand how much space it has to keep aside for images and start loading the rest of the page. This way the pages are loaded faster. In this way you can make your site attractive with images without slowing it down.

One of the most important graphic in your page is the header image. It is the first thing that a visitor notices. Header images can go a long way in building viewer confidence. A smart header gives a professional look to your site. Headers help in brand building. For this reason banners must have company or product name in it. Placing the company logo in the header image is also a very good idea. This way the viewer automatically associates the header image with your company.

Graphics sometimes tend to distract instead of attracting visitors. If load banners and logos are placed in your site which has little relevance to the site then might adversely affect site prospects.
Banners are also images, which not only distracts but might also lure visitors away from your site. Small, relevant graphics increase the overall appeal of the page if you can strike a balance between content and graphics. The site must look beautiful as well as professional.