Internet - The World Wide Web
How Design and Content Contribute to Web Site Failure

How Design and Content Contribute to Web Site Failure

How Design and Content Contribute to Web Site Failure
There are several reasons most Web sites fail, most common reasons include:

Slow loading. Web sites fail when they take too long to load. Visitors are in a hurry. Ten seconds watching an hourglass seems like an eternity when you’re in a hurry. The problem is that Web design has been in the hands of designers whose income often increases in direct proportion to the complexity of the Web site. As a result, large graphics and special effects often unnecessarily slow down Web site performance to the extent that visitors leave, rather than wait for a large logo to appear.

Difficult to read. Color often hinders more than it enhances. Colored backgrounds and texture effects often reduce readability. Black type against a white background is easy to read—but lacks the “drama” designers often build into a site in order to gain client approval (the “Wow!” factor). Often, a combination of text colors and background colors, which look good on screen, results in pages that cannot be read when printed. (Try printing a Web site that uses white text against a blue background—you’ll probably get a series of blank pages.)

Hard to navigate. Many complain about the difficulty involved in locating information. Few Web sites practice what direct marketers have always done, which is to put their most compelling arguments up front. Even fewer Web sites include an effective search engine that helps visitors locate information by keywords or key product attributes. As a result, time is wasted trying to puzzle out a Web site’s navigation scheme. Often, the larger the firm—and the more elaborate (and expensive) the Web site—the harder it is to find information.

Lack of follow-up. Because the Web is often approached and funded from a “design” perspective, customer service is often neglected. There’s often a hefty design budget but insufficient resources for the relatively unglamorous task of following-up on customer requests. Few firms have dedicated individuals—or, where appropriate, departments—responsible for responding to e-mail. As a result, requests for information go unfulfilled, leading to frustrated Web visitors who will never return to the site.

No incentive to return. Web sites fail when they do not give visitors a reason to return. Most Web sites do not attempt to capture the visitor’s e-mail address, making it impossible for the firm to contact previous visitors and enjoy another opportunity to sell them. As a result, most Web sites resemble static electronic brochures in that, once posted, they are not revised. Change is necessary to maintain a dialog with visitors, providing a reason for visitors to return and, again, be exposed to the businesses marketing message.

* Source - Streetwise Relationship Marketing On The Internet
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