Top 10 deadly Web site sins. (IT Strategies).

Have you ever visited a Web site that made you think, this would be a great site if only they hadn't done that. Even if you properly promote your site, if it is not well designed you are fighting a losing battle.

Avoid these 10 deadly sins, and the rest of it will take care of itself.

1) Slow download times will turn people away every time, even if your site has the best content in the world. When it takes forever to download, no one will hang around long enough to view it. The next time you are tempted to take that eight-inch by 10-inch photo and turn it into an image map, I would advise you to reconsider. When visitors hit your site, they are looking for information, services or products. They are not interested in that cool new graphic that took a day to create.

Am I implying that it should be information in a text-only format? No, of course not. Strive for a balance between image quality and size. There is a happy medium where the image looks good, yet is small enough to download efficiently. Your graphics should enhance your presentation, not overpower it.

2) Poor choice of background and text colors is one of my personal favorites. It is frustrating to go to a site you feel will be exactly what you are looking for, only to find the information is almost unreadable due to poor background and text color choices.

If you do stray from black on white, make sure there is enough contrast between your text and background so that reading is easy. Also consider links; they must be readable both before and after they have been visited.

3) BLINKING TEXT should be avoided. Please do not use blinking text! People just do not like it. There is nothing more distracting than trying to read and having that incessant blinking going on.

4) Frames in theory are a great tool, however in practice they are usually anything but. Yes, they can provide convenient navigation, but they usually do not. Invariably the dimensions are just a hair off and you are stuck with that dastardly horizontal scroll bar. Or you have a window approximately five pixels high to try to scroll. There is also the fact that frames cause problems for search engines when it comes time for them to index your site.

5) Avoid the endless scrolling page. Have you ever loaded a page, then watched in disbelief as the button on the scroll bar gets smaller and smaller. Then you realize you have got a long way to go to get to the bottom of this page. It is better to break up your content into short to medium lengths, linking the pieces together. Granted it is easier to put everything on one page, however many viewers simply will not start reading something if they are not sure they will finish.

6) Avoid "This Site is Under Construction!" This one is simple, if it is not finished, then please do not list it. I am not talking about one section under development; that is acceptable.

7) Background sound is another big no-no for professional sites. It is important to present a professional image. Leave background sound to a personal page. Your credibility starts veering when you subject your visitors to sounds of music.

8) Keep design/layout consistent. Design, layout and navigational items should be kept consistent throughout the site. Have you ever clicked a link, and then wondered if you were still at the same site? Use the same background and navigational items (in the same location, too) on every page of your site. As boring as that may sound, it makes it much easier for your visitors to find their way around.

9) Be careful when designing for a specific browser/color setting/screen resolution, which may make a site totally inaccessible to 25 per cent of the visitors. Unfortunately, that is exactly what many site designers do. It is commonplace to find a site that is difficult, if not impossible, for select groups to enjoy. Not everyone downloads the latest version of MSIE or Netscape. I am not saying you should design for browsers older then five years, but do not go to the opposite end of the spectrum and design only for people who upgrade their browsers continually.

10) Watch for spelling and HTML mistakes. Few things will destroy a professional image more quickly than spelling or HTML errors. Building trust is an absolute must online. If your site contains spelling and grammatical errors, what kind of message does it send to potential clients?

HTML errors are another way to quickly remove any faith the visitor might have had in your ability. If you have left out your ending tag and three quarters of your page is in BOLD text, it looks unprofessional. These types of mistakes are relatively easy to avoid. One easy step to take would be to proofread your pages before uploading them. Also run a spell check on them, or get someone else to proofread them.

Article written by Sherry DaRosa, certified Web site, designer with MPG Web Design in Thunder Bay.