Coding your web site by hand not only allows for broadened aesthetic possibilities, but also provides greater flexibility for ensuring your site is optimized for search engine results and display compatibility.

Additional benefits of hand-coded HTML include:

* Wider range of design options such as of tables and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) * Faster page load, by reducing excess code generated by many WYSIWYG editors * Increased compatibility with future expansion needs of your site, including forms, mini-applications (often referred to as scripts), and e-commerce features

On Second Thought

If thought of developing your own web site sounds overwhelming, delegating project to a third-party design firm may be best choice. It’s okay to stay focused on what makes you money – supplying your products or services – and allow others to compliment your business with their expertise.

There are many local and national design firms that specialize in web design for particular needs, such as small business or organizational web sites. Hiring right web design firm can bring your business to a whole new level; be sure to perform thorough research, and compare service providers before choosing right design partner for your business or organization.

3. Unpleasant designs - Designs that use too many colors, colors that clash, or a messy layout, are just plain hard to look at. A site should be pleasant to look at, not a chore.

4. Long pages - Long pages are a problem because your force people to sift through piles of information to get what they want. Pages that focus on just a few topics with links to related topics on other pages are much better. This approach allows reader to isolate specific subject they are interested in.

5. Poor Navigation - It is extremely important that a user be able to access all pages of your site from every page. Users will often enter your site from a search engine listing with a link other than your home page. You do not want your visitors at a dead-end with no way to access rest of your site. You will have wasted traffic and given prospect a bad impression of your business.

As you surf web, you should keep a list of annoying things you find on other sites. Every so often, check your site to see if you have same problems. Regardless, if you avoid common web design mistakes listed above, you will stand a better chance of running a successful web site.