There are many blogs that tell you what you should have on your website. It’s harder to find blogs that guide you as to what not to put on your website. Never fear — we are here to help!
With limited seconds to catch your audience’s attention, your website design must be sharp and on point.
Top five things you should remove from your website:
1. Complicated animations
As we mentioned in our previous blog post, your website will need to be displayed on many devices offering different-sized screens. While most devices can handle animations, it doesn’t always mean that they should. You don’t want your website to appear cluttered or busy. It is all about striking the right balance between animation and static elements.
2. Content that is too long or filled with jargon
Don’t overwhelm your audience with too many words. People like to scan, so make it easy for them to do so. And don’t scare them off with jargon. Remember that, generally speaking, the majority of people read at a 7th or 8th-grade level. So keep it simple.
3. Stock images or just plain bad photos
We covered why you shouldn’t use stock images in this blog, but poor quality photos taken on your old iPhone are just as bad (or even worse). Images should evoke emotion. That cannot be done if the picture is blurry, has bad lighting, or isn’t framed correctly. There really is no way around it — hire a photographer.
4. Dead links
While this doesn’t seem like it should be an issue, you’d be surprised at how many websites do not regularly check their links to make sure they still work. This is especially important when you are linking to outside sites like media articles for your website’s “In The News” page.
5. News releases as blog posts
There is a place for news releases, and it is usually on the media or investors page. Written differently than blog posts, they care more about capturing the attention of a reporter as opposed to being easy to read on a website. Most news releases, if not all, can be rewritten as blog posts and include images and links to supporting articles.
Removing these items from your website will declutter it and make it easier to read. Plus, it will definitely make it look better overall. If you would like help determining what should be removed immediately from your website, contact us.
