Now this a big statement I know, but I wanted to get out my opinion on what I believe to be the biggest website mistake ever and why you need to address this problem immediately.
So what is it you ask?
Well, it’s pretty simple really –
It’s thinking that someone actually cares about you and your website.
Most people when they have a site designed think that everyone is just going to love everything about it. But guess what, it is so not true and the only person that really cares is you. Because you designed it for your needs and not your audience, but the worst thing is, that the visitor who was just on your site, has gone to your competitor, sorry about that!
So what is it, that visitors do care about?
When someone is surfing the web with purpose, their ultimate goal is to solve a problem, either they require some information, want to make a purchase, be amused or be part a group or community. They will fit somewhere into one of those sections and if you can’t help them find the solution they will just move on to the next website that can.
Does your site solve that problem?
More often than not, it will not be suitable. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of very good websites, but the majority just don’t help me solve that problem.
So if you can take anything away from this post, take this: Does your website solve a problem? If it doesn’t, then do something about it and you never know, your web success might be just around the corner.
Have your say! I want to know what you think is the biggest website design mistake or what you think about this post!
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Feeling a bit depressed? So pessimistic. Also true though.
You are absolutely right! When you realize that you can start building a great website.
You’re right. Your site is only as good as the need it meets for your user, and how well it meets that need. That’s the real challenge – a good idea, well executed. It’s ALL ux.
I think the single biggest mistake in building a website is to build it in frames! Totally invisible to search engine and I’m so surprised that people actually still use frames.
I promise I’m not trying to be a jerk here, but a BIG mistake by web designers: poor grammar/spelling. People lose credibility if they claim expertise but don’t take time to proof their work thoroughly. In your post, you said, “Don’t get me wrong their are plenty of very good websites”. There should be a semi-colon or hyphen between wrong and “their”, and “their” should be “there”. Again, I love your posts, so please take this in the constructively critical spirit in which it was given, and keep up the great work!
#Evan – fixed, thanks for pointing that out… You are right, I really should have taken that bit of extra time to make sure it was right.
Thanks for all your comments so far, #Chrissy – building a website with frames is not a great option (excellent point), #Evan – poor grammar (I am guilty) can really let you down.
It sure is a reality wake-up call and remember us to keep testing and improving our website.
I have to agree with the original intent of the post, grammar aside, frames aside. Hands down, the argument wins. The best design, the greatest amount of SEO, Page One, Position One on Google still results in a big bounce in 3 seconds if your site doesn’t solve a problem.
Well Said!
From my personal experience of surfing in search of answers, the biggest mistake is difficult navigation. I don't care much what the site looks like as long as I can find my way around it. It is amazing to me that so many sites are difficult to navigate – that makes me move on to the next one!
I think this way when I work on a client site, I always get frustrated with them when they make approval decisions based on what they like when I would bet that a different version would work better for the target audience.
But I had a wake up call, when designing my portfolio site. And lately I am curious to find the problem that a graphic design studio can solve. It seems like we all fall into a predictable format, and wished there was an idea to really jump out to a visitor and say wow that really addresses my need.
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Thanks and Regards
Noel for Nopun.com
a graphic design studio
Adam, you couldn't be more spot on. But how do you convince clients of this?
100% true. I am now thinking about it.
I've been in the field for about 10 years and this is always the problem, large clients or small. Everyone thinks their personal 'dream' for a web site is a perfect idea. What I try to do is talk about the site like it's a business by itself. Just like a brick and mortar business, a business plan needs to exist, and that includes the definition of the NEED you are filling. I just go through that aspect over and over, focusing on the strategy instead of launching into the design. My clients are always less fussy when they've tackled this issue in their head first. The design implementation is always easier because they're no longer looking for their dream-site, they're looking for what works.
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