Regardless of the web browser you use or the website you visit,

every person brings their own expectations about the way things should work

as they begin a new experience on a website.

This relates directly to usability.

If expectations don't match the reality of what's found,

the experience may be a difficult one.

Business owners can not afford to let users have bad experiences on their site.

Therefore, it's important to understand some of the common usability issues

that impact design and content, and how to meet the expectations of your users.

Some of the most basic usability issues generally involve problems

related to the readability or visibility of text and images.

They may include misspellings, broken images, and unreadable texts.

These problems are basic because they can usually be fixed very easily,

either by tweaking some code or adjusting your style sheet, for example.

Another common concern relates to the layout of web pages.

Usually, they include a header at the top, a clear navigation area,

a large central body, and a footer at the bottom.

This basic hierarchy has been used successfully by millions of websites.

So, it's something many users expect, and when it comes to web design

it's important not to confuse users with something too different.

That's not to say you can't deviate from the norm, but understand the risks involved

when trying something completely new, especially when your business is involved.

Regardless of the layout used, it must be logical, allowing users to see what's there,

providing a flow so they can find what they need,

and it must be consistent across all pages of your site.

Lastly, a common usability concern relates to content.

Content can relate to many things on a website,

but in this case, we must consider how content

allows users to be successful as they use the site.

So, do you use content to effectively identify what your site is about and who it's for?

If users can't figure out what site they're on when they get there, you're looking

at a problem that can plague the user experience from the very beginning.

Also, are your links named correctly?

Do users end up on a page that matches the link name?

Does the content on the page, such as the text, images,

and downloads match the name of the page?

Putting everything in its place helps reduce confusion,

leading to a smoother experience and a longer one as well.

Many problems can be found by going through the site yourself

and trying everything: clicking, downloading, filling out forms,

and, especially, reading what's on the site.

Depending on the size of your site, this may be too big an undertaking for one person

That's why occasional testing of your site

with outside users can help you catch things you may not have noticed.

In the end, by maintaining a consistent design and layout,

and the way your site elements are presented across all pages of the site,

you can avoid many basic usability problems.