10 Common Mistakes For Website Owners To Avoid
Time and time again I've seen websites across the internet that fall foul of some critical design and usability issues. Whilst the owners' intentions are good, they fail to address the need of the reader.
So, I thought it about time that I put finger to keypad and highlight ten mistakes that webmasters should look to avoid.
1. Too many gadgets and embellishments
It's easy to keep adding widgets, buttons, bells and whistles to your website, especially the sidebar, but it can be confusing for the reader, and may not sit well with your chosen theme or design.
You may want your blog to reflect your personality, but where design is concerned, clarity and simplicity should be your guiding principles.
2. Difficult to read
Light text on a dark background, long paragraphs of close-spaced lines, extra small or cursive fonts are all things that can be hard on the eye, and a hindrance to a quick intake of information.
New visitors typically take no more than nine seconds to decide whether to stay or click away, so don't put up barriers or they will lose patience.
3. Too much information
Often referred to as TMI, over-sharing might be fine in some circles, but never lose sight of who you're connecting with, or who will read your blog. A blog is personal and can be relaxed in tone, but try not to confuse open and friendly with over familiar!
4. Being anonymous
If you can bring yourself to, have an About page. I know Kyle encourages this in the training, but many people prefer to still remain under the radar - big mistake. remember, YOU are your brand and people buy from people. Also, provide visitors with a way of contacting you - ideally through page or post comments, but also a 'Contact me' page.
5. Setting false expectations
You should be able to describe what your blog is about in one sentence. Even if it's not about one thing, and you mix topics, that's fine, but make that clear so that people know what to expect.
Similarly, if you promise a daily writing prompt, subscribers will be disappointed if the prompt only comes once a week.
6. Not posting frequently enough
Do try to post once a week as a minimum. This is enough for your blog to look active, for Google to notice you, and for subscribers to feel loved.
Research has shown that when you start to post more frequently, subscriptions, page views and comments all go up.
7. Not allowing comments
Sometimes, newbie bloggers and affiliate marketers are nervous about allowing comments. But disallowing comments is completely contrary to the spirit of blogging and will affect your SEO.
Moderate comments, by all means, and of course, don't feel obliged to publish a comment that's defamatory or inappropriate.
As you settle into life here at WA, you'll come to understand that comments are the lifeblood of your blog. So embrace them as they will serve you well.
8. Uninspiring post titles
Every word counts when it comes to your blog post titles, so try to give them some thought. A good title can be the difference between someone deciding to click and read, and not - so it should make people curious to read more.
That doesn't mean overly cute or misleading. No one likes to be tricked into reading something that turns out out be not at all what was expected.
9. Too many spelling or grammatical errors
Oh dear. This really is one that gets under my skin when I see it! But I am a stickler as Lynne Truss (the famed author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves) would say!
I say "too many" because, actually, a blog post doesn't necessarily have to be a polished piece of writing. If a typo slips through, at least it can be corrected if you spot it later.
Also, making allowances for writing in a conversational style.
But habitual poor spelling does not give a good impression and could, over time, impact your blog's credibility.
10. Not using a responsive theme or template
Remember that more people browse the web, read blogs and use social media on a mobile device than on a laptop or desktop computer. It's worth making sure that you choose a theme or template that is responsive, in other words, that adapts to different devices and screen sizes. Many newer themes do this automatically.
An alternative is to choose a theme with a mobile-friendly version that can be enabled.
So there you have it. I hope this has given you some food for thought on your own website.
As always, I welcome all comments and questions - please leave them below and I'll get back to you as soon as I see it. And if you found this post useful, please do LIKE it using the green button below.
Recent Comments
76
Nice... another one for me to bookmark, lol!
I think it's important to have a good strong opening to catch the reader's eye and desire to read further. The colour of my link text in a lot of my older articles were too bland making them not easy to recognize as links and so I got the brain moment and put colour on the link texts... works well.
Everything you mentioned I can definitely relate...reading this will keep me more focused and remind me. Thanks Sean!
Hi Sean, I've fallen prey to many of these myself. Thanks for this post...it is informative and helpful.
Thank you!
Sue
Thanks Sue,
You are not the only one - I have been guilty of a few myself before now! But we live and we learn.
Thanks again,
Sean
Thanks, great list, make it 12;)
Using watermarked images (not copyright free)
Using copied articles
Haha, thanks Loes,
You are so right! Fortunately, the system here at WA has a plagiarism checker so copied articles won't get through here. But you're right... people will copy them on their own sites, which isn't good for SEO anyway, so there really is no point to copying anything.
Fresh, helpful and unique content is the key - as are un-watermarked images :-)
Sean
Great post and very useful, it is easy to fall into one (or more) of these mistakes, thank you for sharing :)
Thanks Angela,
You're so right. But after a time most of it becomes second nature - it's just a case of getting it engrained into the old noggin!
Glad you found it of use.
Thanks again for your kind words.
Sean
Thanks this helps a lot to untangle issues I'm having. I have saved this for future quick reference.
Thank you so much, Sean, for taking your time to give us a hand. I've been here a while but I'm still struggling with a few issues you have touched. I have bookmarked this post.
Hi Euphemia!
Hey... the pleasure is all mine. Always happy to help. :-)
Feel free to tap me up if you have any questions.
All the best,
Sean
Thank you for these tips! As WA newbies, we're trying to learn as much as we can and people like you who are generous with advice are much appreciated.
Hi Louie and Gigi,
I'm so pleased that you found my post of use. And thank you for your kind feedback. You are very kind.
We are a large community, without hierarchy, here at WA, so always feel free to tap anyone up here for help, as you progress with your affiliate training. We were all newbies once, and as such we can help each other through experience. Feel free to get in touch at any time, should you have any questions about anything. I'm always happy to help where I can. And if I can't answer your question, you can be rest assured that someone here will be able to. :-)
All the very best for 2018.
And thanks again.
Kindest regards,
Sean
That's why we're really happy to have found WA. Writing is Louie's passion, I give him ideas :-), and we enjoy working this together. Thank you again!!
I totally agree with you. I like things nice an simple no bells and whistles. Spell checker has its uses but the human eye is better. I double check no triple check my grammar now. The reason Kyle is so successful is -
1.His website is uncluttered
2. Easy to read
3. Conversational
4. Informative
5. No hard sell
http://waystoavoidscamsonline.com/about-me
I will rather follow a winner anytime
Thanks Billy. You are very kind. I truly appreciate your kind words.
Thanks you so much. It really is appreciated.
Sean
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A great post and some timely reminders. I hope my sites pass muster.
With Grace and Gratitude
Karen
Thanks Karen. I truly appreciate your kind words.
Sean