Every now and then I’ll be aimlessly browsing the web and stumble across websites that don’t really behave the way I would expect a website to behave in 2015. Here are some tips that are best avoided.

Flash! While Flash works fine on modern desktop web browsers, it is outdated and requires a separate plugin. This is tricky because there are many users out there who prefer not install any additional plugins and as such, they will not be able to view some of your websites content. Aside from that, you have to consider smartphones. Currently the mobile versions of Apple’s, Google’s, and Microsoft’s browsers do not support flash content. This alienates a huge portion of web users in today’s market, more people than ever before browse the web on their phones. Above all else, Flash carries its own set of security risks and vulnerabilities. Flash can be used if absolutely necessary but should be avoided if at all possible.

Continuing from Flash and mobile devices, websites should always try to be as mobile friendly as possible. Some websites will rarely or never be accessed from a phone but those are special cases and are usually known well ahead of time. Other sites though, such as blogs, news outlets, and any website that links to itself from a social media account really should be mobile friendly. Millions of people use Facebook, Twitter, and other forms of social media on their mobile devices. They may click on a link to your site out of curiosity but they will leave almost immediately after realizing that they have to scroll side to side to view all the content.

Another thing to consider is what important information you should have on your website. Is the site for a store or restaurant? Hours of operation would be useful information to include as well as location(s). You don’t want people to leave your website to try and find out when they should come to you or where to go. Chances are if you don’t post that information they won’t find it which could result in a loss of sales or business. Along this avenue, include contact information. This doesn’t always apply though as some businesses and industries don’t require contact. Once again that is something that would need to be identified and considered beforehand.

Try not to make the website look too generic. Sure a lot of websites look similar but it’s always easy to spot the ones that are a total ‘out-of-box’ solution. These are the websites (forums are a good example) that are all in a similar sector or industries but look exactly the same with different colors. For forums and such it isn’t all that bad as people are just there to be part of the community and interact with each other. But in a website for a business where customers are essentially interacting with you, you want to stand out.

This information may seem scary and like a lot to digest but these are crucial considerations if you want your website to be successful in a highly competitive market. Fortunately for you, here at Palm Beach Software we offer over 20 years of experience and expertise in all manners of web development. We take great pride in being able to help you identify what you may or may not need and how to make it stand out in within your industry.