You may be an experienced web developer and designing a website may not be a disturbing task for you. But, building a website that works in accordance to the user is a whole different thing. Nobody is perfect in this world and it is a bit more appropriate when we say this in context of the web development.
Developing a website according to a developer is really easy but when it is being done for a user it may not be that simple. Lets try to understand some simple mistakes that developers should avoid:
1. RESPONSIVE DESIGN
It is one of the most important aspects of web development and design nowadays. The usage of internet has expanded from a computer screen to a notebook, a tablet or a mobile phone. The website content should be accessible smoothly on different devices of different screen size. This is quite a thing for the developers to look into always. It can not be set aside while developing a website.
TIP: majority of premium wordpress themes are already responsive! Check some of the best responsive business wp themes from our collection.
2. CROSS-BROWSER COMPATIBILITY
Browser compatibility is another aspect which could be alarming for the developers. The developer may be working on a particular browser all the time, but the user may not do the same. There may be more than one users at a time and working on different browsers. Generally a developer uses the same browser through out the development process. He may have used browser specific codes accidentally which can hinder the browser compatibility. Although at the time of completion the website will be tested for issues related to its compatibility for different browsers, it will be very time consuming. It can cause a considerable delay in the delivery of the project. So it is good to use different browsers at the development stage to have an idea of major browser related issues. Test your website here.
3. WRONG SEO
SEO is an integral part of the website development process. Most of the developers have an idea of it. But where they may be wrong at is taking it too lightly. Many developers think that it is a simple topic without researching and knowing different aspects of SEO. It is much more than using the keywords and setting the tags right. SEO includes eliminating duplicate content, good site architecture and perfect back linking. One should have the in-depth knowledge of how Google and other search engines like Bing and Yahoo index the web. Many developers miss this part while developing the website and face a negative response in search engine rankings. Developers should also keep in my essential aspects, such as, website speed, W3C markup validation or above mentioned responsivity (mobile friendly test).
4. POOR NAVIGATION AND CONTENT LAYOUT
Flawless navigation of any website can take it to a different level of usability. User should be able to roam around the website easily. The links which leads no where or show an error message can even ruin a great design of the website. Broken links may cause a downfall in the impression of the website + SEO. Sometimes content proves to be the lifeline of a website. The content should be informative and updated always. Moreover the structure of the content is an important aspect. Normally a user does not read the whole content. User just scans it and find the points of his interest. The content should be in a explicit hierarchy so that it can provide the user a quick idea of the content. A website lacking in these aspects may increase the bounce rate.
TIP: Check our simple WordPress themes collection for some inspiration when it comes to simple & clean layout!
5. NOT LINKING TO THE SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS
Social media is one of the mainstays of promotions these days. Linking your website to different social media platforms is always a thing to do. It can help in driving a large audience to your website. Many people ignore it thinking that it won’t make a big difference. While it is an agreeable fact that social media can largely impact your on-line presence. So, in case you are failing or forgetting to do that you may miss a lot of exposure and growth. Every developer is an asset with in, having the knowledge and experience. It is not necessary that he will make mistakes but working a bit smarter keeping all these aspects in mind will always help and give positive results.
AUTHOR BIO:
Emily is a WordPress developer by profession and writer by hobby. She works for Wordsuccor Ltd., a wordpress outsourcing company based in USA. She already has a number of web design related articles under her name.
