As an experienced Houston web company, we naturally come across a lot of websites that are in dire need of repair. The owners of those websites always admit that they’ve known for a while their site needed an upgrade, but they weren’t 100 percent sure exactly what the problem was. All they could tell us is that the website was not converting and that they had a high bounce rate.

As Houston web designers, we think of ourselves as party hosts: we bring the plates of cookies and the drink trays the moment your guests walk in the front door, so they feel welcome and want to stay. Presentation is key, as it’s your visitors’ first impression of your business. Here are the four most common Houston web mistakes we see (so you can avoid the same!)

 Are You Guilty Of These Houston Web Blunders?

Here at Nuesion we offer full-service web design and hosting. Whether you need a simple cosmetic face-lift, an in-depth reworking, or your very first website for a fledgling business, our Houston web company would be happy to help! Ok, enough of the sales pitch.. lets get to the list!

Houston Web Issue #1: Poor Navigation

“Where am I? How did I get here? Why am I here?” These are the absolute worst questions a visitor can ask about your site! Most businesses say that navigation and usability is their top concern, but far too often we see creative types run wild with the design features. There are several recommendations we make to improve navigability, notably:

• Use visually appealing icons that are easy to understand
• Keep your most important links on the top horizontal navigation bar
• Stash your legal, copyright, privacy, and terms at the bottom of the page
• Use breadcrumb navigation within your text to guide people through the site

Houston Web Issue #2: No Call-To-Action

Sure, people are coming to your Houston web site for information; and yes, “Content is King.” However, you must also give the end user a call-to-action, which gives them a set of options should they decide to act based on the information you’ve provided. The 2011 Social Media Matters Study found that 53 percent of blog readers admitted they make purchases based on blogs they’ve read, and 69 percent of adult American women confessed they rely heavily on blogs to research technology they plan to buy. So, you see, it is very important that you give these eager buyers somewhere to go and something to buy! To improve this area, we recommend:

• Creating a button that takes into account size, shape, color and position when directing users
• Choosing your words carefully (for instance, it’s preferable to use the term “costs” versus “fees”)
• Deliver one call-to-action per page
• Use content to answer the question, “What’s in it for me?”
• Use the call-to-action to answer the question, “What do I do now?”

Houston Web Issue #3: Clutter

As a company, there is so much to say! This is especially true if you are trying to appeal to different target audiences. However, people browsing the web have unbelievably short attention spans. We partially blame TiVo, which lets people speed through commercials… Or maybe it’s those moving sidewalks in airports… At any rate, you need to get rid of all non-essentials on your landing page if you want people to click and explore. Here’s an example:

Chicken Kitchen’s Houston Website.. now thats a tasty looking site!

We challenge each item on a Houston web page and ask, “Does it really need to be there?” Often, it takes an impartial third party eye to make these kind of judgment calls, as it’s easy to get lost in your own mission statement and message.

Houston Web Issue #4: Content

People have arrived at your site to digest some type of content. Some pages serve up content like they are delivering filet mignon in a cardboard pizza box! What we’r saying is that you can lose a lot of perceived value if the presentation isn’t favorable. What we focus on is…

• Lots of whitespace so users can focus on the text
• Lengthy paragraphs are broken into shorter ones
• Bullets and lists are used as often as possible
• Never forget headlines
• Selecting the right text and colors is essential

Are you looking for Houston web solutions? Nuesion would love to help! Please contact us in any way you feel most comfortable so we can discuss your Houston web project. Not from Houston? No problem! We also work with companies remotely across the United States.