high expectations. some call it common sense.

In today’s online society, anyone who has any Web skills can lay out a Web site. I wanted to share with my reader’s of few of my personal pet peeves and expectations I look for in a Web site.

1 – Eyes can quickly adjust and “see” site layout. Some sites are so busy and jumbled up with the design layout varying on each page my eyes never adjust.  IMC Principle: Keep design layout consistent on each page of the site. Furthermore, the Web site’s look should also be consistent with other marketing collateral.

2 – Include a search tab on the site. For any site that has more than just a few pages, considering including a search for the site. This enables visitor’s to quickly retrieve hard to find information. At bare minimum, include a site map.

3 – Contact Info should be complete and accurate. There is nothing more frustrating then clicking on the contact tab to find a form to e-mail to the company. I expect the word contact to include a phone number, at a bare minimum. Address, e-mail contact and company directory are also useful.

4 – No more then 3 clicks deep. When looking for information, I don’t want to have click more then three times to locate it. If I find that I have to search multiple pages within the site, then I’m likely to move onto the next site.  If this is absolutely necessary, then refer to suggestion #2.

5 – Asthetically pleasing. I like it to look nice, period.

6 – Solid content. Utilize the “About Us” page to really give the site visitor an insight to the company or product. Don’t simply fill your space with fluff. This does not benefit the company or the site visitor.

7 – No deadends, error pages or broken links. Even the best sites can end up with the aforementioned. If your company doesn’t have a dedicated Web guru, peruse your site periodically and report any broken links or error pages so they can be corrected.

8 – Up-to-date info. Keep your information fresh. It proves to me, the customer, that your site is up-to-date and keeps me returning time and again.

9 – Flash Intros. I detest waiting for a page to load. So much so, that I don’t wait. Flash intros and lots of flash elements in a site tend to cause long load times — in turn casuing customers to look elsewhere.

10 – Music. Avoid corny music, or music period. It isn’t necessary.