1. Coding without a plan
plan a Web site building
-Why you need this website?
-What is the purpose?
-What you are hoping to achieve upfront ?
If you’re building a website to include in your technical portfolio, you should read job postings related to your desired role that will give you a sense of which languages and frameworks you should focus on.
Once you’ve identified your site’s purpose, next step is to write your plans out on paper.Create a wireframe that illustrates your site’s layout, including where your text, images, and components will go. Your goal in this stage is to figure out your MVP (Minimum Viable Product), which is essentially a version of your product that can be achieved with much less effort than the ideal state you have in mind.
“After setting that goal, you can iterate upon it and build other features after the fact instead of trying to build Rome in a day. “Even final products need iterations and other corrections — it’s a continuous process.”
2. Leaving vulnerabilities open
To start, one recommends utilizing HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). This internet communication protocol encrypts data sent between servers and browsers and helps ward off man-in-the-middle cyber attacks.
Next, you’ll also want to make sure all your code (including your widgets and plugins) is up to date. When discovered, these vulnerabilities are quickly resolved with updates. That’s why keeping your code current helps prevent potential security risks before they happen.
One also notes that some web hosting providers offer security measures, like Cloudflare, which prevents suspicious IP addresses from accessing your site.
3. Missing accessibility features
Accessibility features and practices are a must because they help provide an equal experience for all users.
How well does your site accommodate users with sensory, mobility, or cognitive impairments? Can your HTML be read by screen readers? Does your video content include captions? What about your icons — are they crammed together or spaced far enough apart?
Implementing accessibility features helps broaden your potential user base — plus, it’s the right thing to do. It’s also legally mandated (in the U.S.), thanks to the Americans With Disabilities Act.
4. Overlooking user data
User data holds a treasure trove of valuable information that can help you find problem areas and potential improvements to your site.
“Using that info can be really helpful. If something is really popular, you might want to spruce it up with extra resources.” Seeing how real people use your website can also help you uncover bugs that you missed while you were coding it.
Moral of the story? Data analytics can give you more insight into your users. Tools like Google Analytics can provide insights into your user demographics. With this info, you can better cater to your current audience — or even switch up your site to appeal to other demographics.
5. Forgetting about mobile performance
Studies show that 54% of all web traffic comes from mobile devices, so if your website isn’t responsive on a phone, tablet, or e-reader, you’re setting up a huge chunk of users for a wonky experience.
Each of these devices has different sizes and dimensions, so your site needs to be able to adjust to the environment and provide a consistent experience.
But it’s not just fonts and styles. You’ll also want to ensure your website’s functionality remains consistent across devices. For example, you can’t hover a cursor on mobile devices, so how will that affect a user’s experience? Plus, mobile functionality plays a big role in SEO (Search Engine Optimization), so adding responsiveness to your website can help you rank better in search engines and generate more traffic (if that’s your goal).
In fact, Google found that 90% of users will leave a page after only 5 seconds — and who can blame them? Speedy load times are basically the norm these days.
So what do you do?
First, check your website’s loading speed using tools like Sitechecker or GTmetrix. If the load time is too high, there are a couple steps you can take to help bring it down — for example, utilizing caching, optimizing images on your site, and trimming down your code to remove any unnecessary bits (the same goes for your plugins).
One also recommends using CDNs (Content Delivery Networks). CDNs help reduce loading speeds by storing your web assets in servers around the world.
source :
6 Common Mistakes To Avoid While Building a Website https://www.codecademy.com/resources/blog/mistakes-to-avoid-while-building-a-website/
