Your business website should act as your shop window; we’re taking a closer look at the world’s worst website to highlight what to avoid.

The competition is stiff in online business. First impressions are everything, so you need to tick every box for an aesthetically pleasing website. Providing a seamless shopping experience for your site visitors is of utmost importance, and a powerful web hosting solution and some attention to detail behind the scenes should be top of your website building list. However, how your website looks is key to encouraging your site visitors to click through, reaching the checkout and ultimately making a purchase.

Be consistent

The aim of your website is to entice the customer, not give them a headache! Be consistent in colour choices with both font and background. Any text should be of a consistent size and font style which is easy to read and digest. In TWWWE’s list of web design errors, the creators state that:

• Blue on red is a bad idea
• Red on blue is a bad idea
• Blue or red on black is a bad idea

Take a look at this blog post to find out more about what the colour of your website says about you. We would advise playing it safe and sticking to monochrome colours, with added warmth from the addition of cosy colours. Whichever colours you opt for, are consistent and use them throughout your site.

Construct a Sitemap

TWWWE is filled with a mash of broken links which lead to a range of unrelated pages. Make sure links are clear, precise and correct. Your sitemap should be easy to navigate, with clear links to checkout throughout to encourage purchase at every opportunity. A lack of correct links leads to a decline in selling points on your website, which should strictly speaking be a selling machine.

Remember links are best embedded in buttons, which give a concise ‘call to action’. Learn more about how to use the call to action to maximize on sales by reading this blog post.

Use High-Quality Images

If your site is to feature images and photography, be sure to invest in high-quality, well-formatted images which are directly relevant to your site or product. Showcase your products or services with professional imagery if you need visual representation, but remember that large images will carry long loading times, causing your site to slow down.

Remember that Content is King

A cliche though it may be, content truly is king. Your website copy must be meticulously checked to root out any spelling mistakes and to ensure it reflects the personality of your brand. All written content should be kept to a minimum so each word has great value. Keep your content to bite size chunks which are easy to digest and will engage your chosen audience; consult your brand DNA for a style guide.