Two Don’t Dos of Web Design
When it comes to web design services, it’s all too easy to get confused by the vast number of self-appointed gurus telling your business what is – and what is not – going to work in terms of making an impact in the online market and running a profitable, successful web-based enterprise.
Sometimes – and without trying to be negative about it – it is easier to focus on what not to do with your web page design. There are some things which, no matter what sized business you are, what industry you’re in and what audience you’re trying to target, are simply not going to do anything positive for your website or online store.
This article introduces two and explains how and why they can damage your site’s or store’s traffic, conversion rates – and consequently your business’s bottom line.
First up is pop-up windows. No matter how effective or useful you think surprising your website visitors with surprise content in a new browser window might be, think again. When have you ever know anyone – consumer, blogger, online shopper, casual browser – to remark even remotely positively about having to deal with pop-up windows on a website? Exactly.
If you have information of value that you really want your visitors to pay attention to, a pop-up window is the absolute last place it should be. You shouldn’t have to surprise people to make them pay attention – if your product and site are up to scratch, they’ll be interested anyway.
Next is ads. If you’re getting paid to advertise someone else’s product or service on your site, that’s one thing. But using banners to promote products or services of your own is another – and it can prove a waste of time.
With so many banner ads out there on the web, people are quick to develop something called “banner blindness”. It’s a lot like pop-ups. We’re so used to being forced to look at information we don’t want to look at that we disregard pop-ups and banner ads without paying any attention to their content.
Basically, what it comes down to is respecting your user’s desire to have a positive, uninterrupted and unimpeded browsing or online shopping experience. If they visit your site or online store, they’re unlikely to have done so hoping to have to look at banner ads and be visually assaulted by pop-up windows they’ll likely close before the content has even rendered.
