Saboteur #6: Pairing Powerful Copy with Weak Web Design

Imagine strolling into a boardroom to make a perfectly worded pitch to a group of prospective clients while wearing shorts and a t-shirt. You just wouldn't do it. So why would you project a second-rate image of your company where it's accessible 24 hours a day?

If you're going to sound professional (i.e., your website copy), make sure you look professional, too (i.e., your web graphics and design).

Whether you create your site yourself, use a template, or hire a professional web designer, it's up to you to ensure your website is as successful as possible. To help, here's a list of things that don't belong on a professional business website.

► Clip Art

With sites like iStock.com offering incredible graphics at affordable prices, there's just no excuse for clip art on a professional website. It's like finding stick figure drawings in a Renaissance art gallery — they don't measure up to the competition.

And while we're at it, if you plan to use portraits of yourself and/or staff, make sure they'll portray a professional image. No photos your mom took of you at the family barbecue (unless, of course, your mom is a professional photographer and you were dressed for success that day).

► Fancy fonts

While that curly, swirly script or far-out psychedelic typeface may express your personality perfectly, it's a pain to read. Feel free to get a little fancy — but play it smart. Use clear, legible, standard fonts for the bulk of your content. After all, you want to make it as easy as possible for your customers and prospects to understand what you're trying to say.

► Clutter

Even though you can add all sorts of nifty stuff to a website, it doesn't mean you should. Some websites look like a smorgasbord for web designers — a buffet of Flash graphics, ads, current weather reports, links, etc. But, if I'm going online to buy yarn, for example, I don't need to know the weather forecast.

Always consider your target audience. Include only those features that are specifically useful for them and help them connect with your business, products, and services.

Remember: white space is your friend. Don't bury your content in a heap of ads, links, and graphics.

► Auto-launch A/V

Avoid video intros and other audio/visual elements that launch automatically. Imagine a client looking up your website from her cubicle at work or while out at the local coffee shop. Great. Now, visualize the embarrassment when suddenly the theme song from Rocky blasts from her computer as she frantically looks for the mute button. Not great. (Auto-play movies and flash presentations without sound aren't much better. They can be just as frustrating, especially when someone's in a hurry.)

Music and/or video may be an integral part of your business, but allow your customers to decide for themselves when to hit play.

► White on Black

Don't use white font on a black or dark background for long chunks of text. I mentioned this already for Saboteur #4, but I'll say it again. It's too stressful for your readers' eyes. Yes, it shows how edgy and different you are, but is it worth it if people have a hard time reading it?

This list could go on and on, but I've stuck to a few of my particular pet peeves — focusing on basic visual elements, rather than code and such. If you have any website design pet peeves of your own, let me know.