Too many website owners simply focus on how their website looks and feels. Most web designers or website owners forget the importance of having a website that is properly functioning and doesn’t display any error coding.
Any extras on your website that hinders the ability for the visitor to navigate or fully load a page can become time consuming and irritating. Instead of losing your visitors, try to stay on top of things with the following tips.
Ensure that you choose a web host that doesn’t have a lot of downtime. It is normal if your host has a downtime once in a while, however, if this is a recurring weekly problem, you are losing money, time and customers.
If you spend a lot of money advertising your website, ensure that the host is doing its job. If someone visits your website and sees that it is down, it is unlikely that that person will come back again. Avoid this issue by researching and finding a solid and reliable host.
Avoid using hosts that are free. Most free website hosts will display advertisements throughout your web design. In most cases, this can interfere with the functionality of the website. It is also really irritating for visitors to spot inappropriate content in ads which you are not responsible for.
Make sure that your website works in all major browsers and displays correctly. It is a shame when someone likes using Google Chrome, but the website only displays in Firefox. If you are unsure how to design and code your website in a way that helps it display in all browsers, hire professional help. Simple mistakes such as this can make or break your website.
You can check manually or write a script that does this for you, but always ensure that all of the links are working on your website. Dead links should be fixed or eliminated.
No one wants to keep clicking links on your navigation bar only to find out that most of them are not working. The same rule of thumb goes for incompatible coding. Remove coding that is no longer functioning to prevent error messages from displaying.
All of the features on your website should be working properly. Any extras such as sign up forms for newsletters or to contact you should be functioning. Before letting your website go live, ensure that you test out these forms to ensure that they are in working order. Always add a message once the visitor is properly signed up for a newsletter or you have received their contact.
Avoid running the website on Flash. Most fancy web designers feel that running a website on Flash will make the website more appealing, but it irritates most visitors. Flash takes quite a while to load and if the visitor doesn’t have the newest player downloaded, he or she can’t even view your website. Keep your website easy to load and navigate!
Content is the heart of a website, but it is important that functionality is still evident in your design. Use the simple tips discussed in this article to help you build a website that your visitors will love. Always keep in mind that navigation and simple design is the key to your success!
