Web Design Tips - what to avoid

	Don't blatantly self promote. People don't want to waste their precious time looking at a barrage of advertising.
	Don't assume your site visitors can always download graphics. Many people on the internet download their files in a text-only format, so be careful of what you put in your graphics, and be sure to accommodate for text-only viewing.
	Don't overdo graphics at the expense of content. Graphics take up valuable time to download, and many people find them more of a nuisance than an added value. One industry expert states that content consistently outdraws the creative.
	Don't digitize existing printed material on a web site. People don't want to waste time to download information they already have and digitized material takes up too much space.
	Don't forget that you have a web page, once you've started it. Some companies start with a task force designing a page and end up with a college intern keying in data.
	Don't overlook consumer response. List an e-mail address or a link to a customer response form on every page. Then designate staff to respond to these in a timely manner. Customers who feel that they and their ideas are important enough to receive a response will develop a degree of loyalty to your company.
	Don't ignore the potential to gather information. You are dealing with a one of the most powerful resources for ideas and innovation. Your customers, and those interested in what you produce. Many of them have ideas on how to improve existing product line and even ideas for new ones. Schedule forums and chat areas. Solicit ideas and responses from viewers through e-mail and interactive forms. Have contests for the best ideas and innovations for your product line.
	Never SPAM. "Spamming" is a technique where you e-mail large quantities of advertising to everyone you can. This usually generates animosity towards your company rather than useful advertising, and people are more likely to delete your mail without even looking at it. You are, after all, taking up valuable hard disk space.
	Don't ignore potential linguistic barriers. Multilingual options will enhance the value to foreign consumers, and increase your impact in these markets.
	Courtesy of David Othus