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The design of your website is important but as I’ve discussed before, a website is more than just good design. In this blog I outline some of the mistakes designers make when designing their site.

So, your website looks pretty but…

…it relies on Flash

There’s nothing wrong with Flash per se but it is blocked in some corporate environments and some mobile devices, such as the iPhone, simply do not support Flash. By all means use Flash but provide alternatives for those who do not have it installed.

…it takes ages to download

In today’s age of broadband it wouldn’t appear to be as critical to make your site fast to download. However, in this era of mobiles phones many people may access your site via a slower 2G or 3G connection. Avoid working large images into the template of your website and make sure all images are optimised for the web.

…I can’t work out how to contact you

Some designers get so hung up in making a site look nice they forget that it should be selling your products or services. The design should make it as easy as possible for potential clients and customers to get in touch with you.

…I can’t use it

To someone blind or partially-sighted, a nice-looking website is of no use to them. Make use of HTML features to make your site accessible to all. Also, don’t flout any conventions when it comes to adhering to usability norms.

…it doesn’t appear on the search engines (or anywhere else)

An aesthetically-pleasing website is of no use if people can’t find it. As well as investing time in the website design be sure to put in the work so people can find it through the various online marketing channels.

To get a website that is more than just pretty call me on 07843 483 078 or get a free quote online.

Tim Bennett is a web designer and developer. He has a First Class Honours degree in Computing from Leeds Metropolitan University and currently runs his own one-man web design company, Texelate.