There are many different tricks to Sacramento web design that will help your online presence. There are also many Sacramento web design mistakes that can reduce your sites ability to function the way it was meant to. Avoid these mistakes and you will have a successful website.
1. Over literal search fields can reduce usability because of their inability of handling typos, plurals, hyphens, etc. of the query terms. Search results such as this one can leave the user frustrated and with no desire to continue looking through your site. Remember that a search bar is a users lifeline when navigation fails and even though advanced search can sometimes help, simple search boxes are easier to use and work best.
2. Surfing through a site and coming across a PDF file can really break a reader’s flow. Not to mention that standard browser commands don’t work on PDF pages. PDF pages are a big Sacramento web design mistake because of these and many other reasons; PDF pages also tend to be optimized for a sheet of paper which rarely matches the size of a user’s browser window, making it hard to read thanks to the smaller fonts. PDF is great for printing manuals or other big documents that are placed online with the purpose of being printed. Convert any PDF pages you may have on your site into a real webpage.
3. Not changing the color of visited links can confuse and ultimately frustrate your readers. Knowing your past and present locations make it easier to decide where to go next and being able to know where you were can also help users find a link they found helpful. In Sacramento web design, it is important to make sure the color of the visited links change so that your users do not experience navigational disorientation.
4. A wall of text can hurt the interactive experience your users have on your site. It will most likely turn your readers away. Write for online, not print and remember these Sacramento Web Design tips: Add subheads, bulleted lists, highlighted keywords and short paragraphs. Also remember to keep your writing style as simple as possible and de fluff the language.
5. Fixed font sizes can affect some of your readers, especially those over the age of 40. Don’t disable a web browser’s “Change font size” button and specify a fixed font size. Most of the time, the size of the fixed font size is tiny which can lead some of your readers away from your site.
6. Search is the most important way users find new websites. It is also the most important way users find their way around individual sites. The page title is your most important tool to attract new visitors from search listings on to your website and to help your current users locate the specific pages they are looking for.
7. Throughout the years users have learned how to ignore anything that looks like an advertisement that get in the way of their goal-drive navigation. Users will also ignore legitimate websites with Sacramento web design elements that look like prevalent forms of advertising. It is best to avoid any designs that look like advertisements.
8. Consistency is key when it comes to Sacramento web design. Users like consistency. This is because they don’t need to worry about what will happen if your site has consistency. Users form their expectations for your website based on what’s commonly done on other websites. If you choose to do anything else, your site will be harder to use and users will leave.
9. Often, people believe that opening a new browser window will keep users on a site. But have you ever been on a site that opened a new browser every time you clicked on a link and didn’t get frustrated by the invasion of your web browser? If you have ever felt this way, chances are that other will too. Links that don’t behave as expected undermine user’s understanding of their own system. A link should be a simple hypertext reference that replaces the current page with new content.
10. Users are highly goal-driven on the Web. They visit sites because there is something they want to accomplish, learn, etc. The ultimate Sacramento web design mistake you can make is to fail to provide the information users are looking for. You can lose a sale if the answer is not there because the buyer might think your product does not meet their needs. If you have a B2C site, this is the worst Sacramento web design mistake you can make. If the product you sell is not a once price fits all type of product, than leaving the price out is justified. But if your product does not fall under that description, always, always include the price.