Useless Pages: Find and Remove

Contents:

• Introduction
• Splash Screens
• Under Construction Pages
• False Sections
• Widgets and Crapletts
• Conclusion

Introduction

It is important to make sure that every part of your site is useful. A user will come to your site expecting to be able to perform a particular task, or read a particular piece of information. You want to make sure that the user can find that resource quickly and easily. If they can't find the information quickly then they may leave your site (never to return), and proceed to another site where they can find the resource. There are several useless pages and 'widgets' that are commonly found on web sites that you can identify and remove...

Splash Screens

Splash screens are rarely useful. What purposes do they serve?

• To 'introduce' the user to the web site 'experience'
• To load images for the main homepage
• To let the user choose between HTML/Flash versions of the site
• To let the user choose between different language versions of the site

To introduce the user to the web site 'experience': - This is where most of the splash screens will die off. The splash screen here is just a barrier for the user to get to the information/resource that they are looking for. It is yet another page that they must understand and navigate before they arrive at their destination. It also involves additional download time, which is still an issue on the global Internet.

To load images for the main homepage: - There is one simple solution to this, just stop using such a graphic heavy homepage. Redesign your homepage so it loads faster. Even if it does load fairly slowly you are still transferring an additional page (the splash screen) to the user. This is another waste.

To let the user choose between HTML/Flash versions of the site: - Ask yourself why you have a flash version of the site. Is it to show off your Flash authoring skills, or is it to offer benefits to the user that ordinary HTML cannot convey. Are you neglecting the HTML version of the site in favour of a flash version? It may be an idea to load up the default HTML homepage, and from there have a link to the flash version. Your homepage should be designed with the basic HTML users in mind.

To let the user choose between different language versions of the site: - This is probably the only use of a splash screen that I would agree with. However, I would still take precautionary measures:

• Once the user has selected a language preference then take them to that version automatically every time they visit the site (using cookies to store their preference).
• Make sure that from each version you can jump to the other versions, or at least the most popular languages, and have a page detailing all the possible selections

Under Construction Pages

Remove 'Under Construction' pages. Almost all web sites are always "under construction". A page that is not fully written should not be published until it is fully complete, or until it serves a useful function. Even so, you must not advertise that page (through simple site links) as complete. If you link to a page and it is not complete then the user will be disappointed and probably leave. Under Construction pages may be registered with search engines, based on title keywords etc, not neccassarly on the page content. If the page is returned in the search results then the user expects to see the information they are looking for.

When doing a site redesign some sites place up a temporary homepage saying that the site is under construction and will be offline for a few days/hours whilst the site is rebuilt. Wherever possible keep the original site in place until the last moment. You may have a page that details the future plans for the site, but not a page that obstructs the user for getting to the content that they want.

False Sections

A false section is where you create a hierarchy of structure within your site just to accomidate a few piences of information. In other words you place the "articles" in sections by themselves, perhaps meaning the user has to navigate through 'section homepages' in order to get to the information they want.

This is a common problem. The false sections are created so that the site can be expanded easily at a later date with more information, however, the user feels that there are things missing from the site: It feels sparse and bare. This is the argument of Creation Vs Evolution in web design. In creation you create a site from scratch and design for the future. With evolution you design for the current moment and adapt your site when new material comes along. Evolution almost always comes with redesigns (as in natural evolution) at some point to remove clutter and to organise the information. There is no clear arguments for/against each approach. Just make sure you remember not to advertise what you don't have. Do not have a "programs reviews" section if you only review one program. Just link to it as "review of program X".

Widgets and Crapletts

Widgets and Crapletts appear on loads of sites. They are useless 'features' and java applets that have no point at all in the function of the site. Prime examples of this are:

• Java Applets that display an animated heading
• Search boxes on a site that are predominatly placed, but search the entire web
• Clocks that display the current time

Each of these ''features' are almost always useless. For example why would people visit your site to find out the time. Their operating system probably has a system clock displayed in a predominant place (Windows: On the task bar), and people who own computers will probably be able to afford a wrist watch or a clock in their house.

Remove these useless features from the main sections of the site. Display the information that you have over any other features. This also includes banner ads. You will make more money by building user trust and selecting relevant affiliate programs.

Conclusion

You must make sure that your site does not include useless 'features' that seem cool at the time of designing. Make sure that is it easy for the users to access the information that they are looking for without having to navigate and understand false sections and splash screens. Do not advertise what you do not have by using "under construction" pages.