Your website acts as your business’ front door in the digital world. It’s the first impression potential customers have of your brand; we all know how much first impressions matter.
However, even the best intentions can sometimes lead to website design mistakes that can hurt your online presence. Let’s look into these pitfalls so you can be on the lookout for what to avoid.
1. The Perils of Poor Navigation
One of the most common web design mistakes is poor navigation. A cluttered or confusing navigation structure can frustrate users, making it difficult to find what they want. This can lead to a high bounce rate or people just leaving your site before long, damaging your site’s reputation with search engines.
2. Overcoming Slow Loading Times
Slow loading speed is another critical mistake to avoid. A slow-loading website can negatively impact user experience and your search engine ranking. On average, users are willing to wait around 2 to 5 seconds for a website to load before leaving. Nobody likes waiting around, especially online.
Running a simple page speed test will give you a sense of how slow your website is loading and can even provide recommendations on how to improve it.
3. The Importance of Mobile-Friendliness
A lack of mobile-friendliness is a HUGE error in today’s mobile-centric world. Most of us have and use our smartphones on a daily basis. More searches are conducted on mobile devices than ever, so your website must be optimized for these users. A non-mobile-friendly website can lead to poor user experience, it can hurt the trust of your brand and may even result in penalties from search engines.
4. The Power of a Clear Call-to-Action
Another common mistake is the lack of a clear call-to-action (CTA). Your website should guide users toward the next step, whether filling out a form, purchasing, or downloading a resource. Without a clear CTA, users might feel lost and leave your site.
This goes hand in hand with a good navigation since users should be able to easily find a CTA wherever on the site they are and whenever they are ready to contact you. Also, it is crucial to use clear ideas on what will happen once a user clicks on your CTAs.
5. The Risks of an Outdated Design
An outdated design is one of those things to avoid when designing a website. An unprofessional or old-fashioned design can make your website seem untrustworthy, discouraging users from staying on your site or converting.
A quick search on current web design trends can go a long way. You don’t want to visit a site that looks like it was made when Windows 95 was around.
6. The Need for a Clear Value Proposition
Lastly, an unclear value proposition can be a significant website design problem. Your website should communicate why users should choose your company or product over the competition. If this isn’t clear, you could lose potential customers.
15 seconds is the commonly regarded time span a user will take to decide if your site is what he/she was looking for or not. Having a clear value proposition from the get go provide users with the reassurance they are in the right place since the site load.
Steer Clear of Mistakes for a Winning Website Design
Whether you’re a newbie web designer or a small business owner looking for a digital marketing agency to build your website, you aspire to create a user-friendly, professional, and effective site to achieve its goals.
Yet, external challenges like limited resources, lack of experience, or simply not knowing what website design mistakes to avoid can make this an uphill battle. It can leave you feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where to start.
No one deserves to feel stuck in their journey to create a stellar website. At Hite, we understand these struggles and how they can impact your progress. We can help:
- Book Your Free Assessment
- Let’s Partner Up
- Get Your Tailored Strategy
We believe in your ability to create a winning website by avoiding these common web design mistakes. Let’s navigate the web design minefield together, turning challenges into opportunities for growth.
And if you are still not ready, you can learn more about web design, and digital marketing in general, to continue expanding your knowledge and expertise by reading more of our blogs here.
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