However, there are times that by examining the negative you are able to illustrate and make the positive much more effectual.

Your Website is a Reflection of Your Business.

Very often, when a company decides to prepare and publish a website they will hire a professional, which is good, and for the most part, the right way to do it. The bad part of this equation is that they depend entirely upon the web designer to do everything and generally accept, with minor changes, or, corrections, whatever is presented.

There could be any number of reasons for this, but, without elaborating on all of them, it really boils down to not having done your homework. In this instance, your homework should have been spending a lot of time on the internet examining as many different websites as possible. Dissecting each of the sights and listing what you like and dislike about each. By the way, this definitely does not mean copying someone else's website.

The following is a list of things to avoid, and, by expounding on these negatives we are, hopefully, creating a more powerful appearance and functionality for your website.

Good Website – “Avoids:”

Slow Uploads.

A slow website is probably the primary reason that viewer/surfers move on to the next site without even knowing what it is all about. It has been shown that the average viewer/surfer does not have the patience to wait.

The longer it takes your website to upload the more likely your are to lose that person. The internet works on speed, milliseconds, to be specific. The viewer/surfer has become acclimated to that speed; therefore, a website that takes more than 10 - 15 seconds, well if you really push it 20 seconds, to upload, is a slow website.

Keep the byte size of your pages as small as possible and definitely minimize the amount and size of graphics and flash.

Finally, become a viewer/surfer. What do you do when the site you just clicked on takes too long to upload? If you're like me, you move on.

Poor Navigation.

The ease of navigating your website keeps your viewer/surfer more interested in staying. Moving around and searching an easily navigable site becomes a pleasure. Navigating on a poorly designed website is a chore that the average viewer/surfer shy's away from. It's that simple.

Too Much Junk.

Have you ever looked at the entry page of a website and all you see are ads, graphics, flash, banners, etc., with nothing else about the site. Now don't misunderstand, I'm not opposed to having ads on your site. It can be and often is a big asset, but just like anything there is a limit.

If your site is just for ad marketing and nothing else, it's fine to have your pages filled with ads and links, that's your business and your lifeline to making money.

If, however, your business is, Architectural Engineering, a page full of ads and flash about Women's Lingerie, or, Motor Cycles, is not going to help you sell your services. They have come to you for specific information, not, unrelated ads. Having ads that complement your business, without advertising for a competitor, of course, sounds more logical to me.

Psychedelic Colors.

Have you ever been on a website when every other word or sentence is a different color, typeface and size?

If you are trying to win a contest, about the greatest use of colors, or, typefaces in a single sentence, then, congratulations. Otherwise, I'm sorry, but, "very unprofessional", in my humble opinion, is an understatement.

It has been shown, that viewers prefer simplicity. For business and sales oriented websites, lighter backgrounds (it doesn't have to be pure white), a strong contrasting type color and a simple typeface. These are easy on the eyes and makes the viewer much more relaxed. For artistic or gallery type websites, there is a lot of leeway, so long as it's easy on the eyes, including a strong contrast between the background and content.

Need I say more!