Certainly, we’ve all seen examples of excellent websites. Unfortunately, more often than not, a site will grab our attention, not for how good it is, but as an example of a "Don’t." What differentiates a mediocre site from one that is outstanding? Surprisingly, the difference comes in the little details that could easily have been corrected.

Here is a list of ten design mistakes that literally drive me to distraction!

1. Errors in Spelling and Grammar

For some unknown reason, I was born with the gift of editing! Spelling and grammar errors seem to jump right off the page at me, and I am unable to concentrate on the content, only the presentation. If you know that you have a problem in this area, ALWAYS spell check. Period. Copy your text into a Word document, spell check, and then copy it back. No excuses.

Of course, the spell check doesn’t catch words that are used incorrectly and often tries to substitute words that make no sense in context. Read what you have written out loud. If you are a really, really bad writer, consider hiring a freelancer to write, or at least edit, your copy. The investment will be worth it in the long run.

2. Color Schemes that are not "Reader Friendly"

Have you ever gone to a website and been unable to read the text because the font isn’t light enough to be seen on the dark background? Or perhaps, the background is a bright, bright color and the white or black text seems to "float" over the blinding background "noise." Think about it. People are paying good money for sites that are practically useless to the average consumer because they can’t read the text! What’s the point?

Think "easy on the eyes." Use neutral backgrounds (grays, blues, soft pinks, or yellow) with a contrasting color (darker shades of the background color or black). For some reason, a lot of websites seem to be using black backgrounds with blue print. I can’t read it. Try to avoid white text on a black background, as the text can appear to "move." Instead, use dark blue or another dark shade of a primary color as a background with white text. It makes a big difference. Look at the page objectively. Maybe you can read the page, but can the general public?