Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York

A corporate website is still one of the most important tools for companies to establish a voice, educate on brands, and promote campaigns. However, with too much information, they can frustrate and turn away potential consumers.

To help companies know whether or not their websites are user friendly, Eric Eggertson, from Common Sense PR, offers these five potential problems to avoid.

1. Identity Crisis

Product FAQ’s, point of sales, bios, message boards, blogs…these are all great functions for a website but that doesn’t mean it should have all of them. Eric stresses the importance of making sure marketing and communications see eye to eye when it comes to the site’s purpose. He also cautions against too many pull down menus and links.

2. Poor Writing

“Involve your top copywriters. It’s a place to let the spirit of your organization sing.”

It might be tempting to delegate the responsibility of writing the content to an intern or lower level executive, but someone with greater knowledge and experience will bring more credibility and depth to the text.

3. Uneven Flow

“A good website should feel like a good museum or even someone’s home, where there is a natural flow from one room to the next.”

This is a big one. Make sure it’s easy to navigate the pages of your website and that there is a feeling of order. Links that connect to pages with dead ends or pointless material could get you into trouble.

4. TMI

Don’t overwhelm web surfers with paragraph after paragraph of information, if they want to learn more about something they can dig for it somewhere else. Only incorporate the company’s key messages and make sure they’re written out clearly and concisely.

5. Confusing Structure

Users should be able to figure out how to get around your website without a tour guide. Too many flash images that take a long time to load or too many sections and sub sections are definitely things to stay away from.

For additional information, webpagesthatsuck.com offers their top 10 worst websites for 2006, including Tampax, Brown University, and Association of International Glaucoma Societies.

Honorable mentions include graphicartsexchange.com (a sex change for graphic art?) and saltinstitute.org.

* Photo Credit: geeksontime.com