Common Web Design Mistakes
The internet is full of websites; good, bad and everything in between. 3 new websites are built every second and this figure is only expected to increase. With so many websites, you want to make sure that yours is impressive and stands out for all the right reasons.
If you are looking to build or redesign your website in 2024 then here are seven mistakes to avoid so your new site is successful and converts your target audience into paying customers.
Your Website isn't Mobile Responsive
It should go without saying, but every website in 2024 needs to be responsive. This means your website needs to be designed to function seamlessly on all device types, from mobiles to tablets and beyond.
User experience has a huge impact on website success. Users who have a poor experience on your website on mobile are incredibly unlikely to convert or return to your website. Responsive web design ensures that no matter what screen size, your visitors all have the same flawless experience on your website.
Weak CTAs
Poorly considered CTAs can have a disastrous affect on your website's ability to convert users into customers. A pitfall that many businesses fall into is too many calls-to-action on their website. Having way too many CTAs not only confuses visitors, but it also leads to a poor user experience. As we know, poor user experience often means visitors won't be returning.
Focussing on Aesthetics Too Much
A big mistake many businesses make when designing a website is focussing too much on aesthetics and not enough on user experience. Everyone wants a visually stunning website, but user experience is paramount for your site to be successful.
Aesthetics can often get in the way of user experience; whether it's animated elements slowing down load speed, or too many features making the site confusing to navigate. It's all too common for businesses to throw in too many exciting elements in the name of aesthetics, rather than focussing on a memorable experience.
Poor Accessibility
Websites shouldn't exclude anyone from their products or services. Many business owners when designing a website forget to prioritise accessibility, meaning they're excluding a large portion of possible customers.
Web accessibility done well will not affect the overall aesthetic of a website. Common accessibility barriers include visual impairments, hearing impairments, motor disabilities and cognitive disabilities. By not designing with accessibility in mind you're losing out on customers.
Unclear Navigation
The main goal of your website should be easy navigation. It helps visitors learn more about your brand, build a relationship and ultimately convert. Unclear navigation is a huge web design mistake that jeopardises the success of your website.
With more websites being built daily than ever, you want your users to have a seamless experience on your website with clear navigation. Otherwise they might go to a competitor if they can't find what they are looking for.
Not Optimised for SEO
A well designed website is almost pointless if nobody can find it. Technical SEO optimisation is all too often ignored by business owners when building a website. Large file sizes, multiple H1 tags and messy sitemaps will have huge roll on affects on your website's visibility.
This mistake is common because people hear the term 'technical SEO' and assume it's too complex for them to solve, so assume they'd be fine without. While some aspects of technical SEO should be left up to a web developer, most can be solved quite easily.
Most importantly, Google and other search engines need to be able to crawl your website to rank them on Google. If not technically optimised, your website becomes a minefield of non-indexed pages and hence, invisible to search engine results pages.
Not Investing in Custom Design
Templated websites are all over the internet. Not even website design from a template is a mistake, however a lot of popular templates have been used so much that they now give off a bad first impression to potential customers.
Your website should be an extension of your brand and philosophies, which is often hard to find in pre-built templates. If you are going to use a website template, you should at least try to invest some time in customising features to better fit your business.
How to Fix Common Web Design Mistakes
We've been over the top 7 mistakes that business owners make when designing a new website. Now we will give you the best solutions to this mistakes. If you've already launched your new website or you're still in the building process, most of these fixes can be implemented easily to give your new website a boost!
Responsive Web Design
With such a surge of users browsing the web on their mobiles, responsive web design is more important than ever. Luckily, most CMS (content management systems) nowadays have responsiveness already built in. Otherwise, skilled web designers will be able to turn your website from a desktop exclusive into a fully responsive digital asset for your company.
You should be consistently checking your website on mobile to ensure there are no bugs or glitches.
Carefully Considered CTAs
Before you start building or redesigning your website you need to have a goal in mind. The aim for your website should mirror your overall brand's objectives for the year. If you're looking to garner new customers, then tailor your new website towards acquisition. On the other hand, your business may be focussing on retaining this year, so optimise your website's CTAs for your existing client base.
A large, clear CTA above the fold on your website is a tried and tested way to convert your website visitors.
User Experience is Paramount
You should want visitors to send as much time as possible on your website. The way to achieve this is through well designed, user experience focussed websites. Memorable UX helps to build a relationship with your visitors, leading to a long term customer relationship.
If you are not a skilled web designer then keep your website simple without too many elements that could confuse your visitors. On the other hand, experienced web designers will have the know-how to create websites that have unique features, stunning aesthetics and great user experience all considered.
Accessible Web Design
Designing for accessibility doesn't have to be difficult. Make sure that you are using a high enough contrast between text and backgrounds. Use typefaces that are easily legible with a clear hierarchy. Invest time in accessible features like alt text to make your website available to everyone.
Clear Website Architecture
Unclear navigation can be remedied by careful planning of your website architecture before building begins. Tech architecture is a blue print of your website, from the most important pages to the least.
By clearly planning which of your pages are the most important you can design a navigation that clearly guides visitors where you want them to go. This makes for a more enjoyable experience for visitors and more conversions for your business.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO doesn't need to be difficult. From the get-go make sure all files that you upload to your website are optimised. You don't want your website load speed to be affected by heavy files, which in turn can affect your organic visibility on Google.
You can audit your website's technical health using tools like SEMRush or Google's Core Web Vital to find a remedy any issues.
Custom Web Design
A custom website will make your brand stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons. Templated websites are all too common amongst the thousands of websites that are created each day. To make your business stand out, consider hiring a professional web design agency to design and build a custom website!
Need a Web Designer?
We're here to help! If you've read this article and concluded that you'd rather leave it up to the professionals, we don't blame you. Our expert web design team in Melbourne are here to build stunning websites that lead to tangible results for your business.
Get in touch today to discuss what we could do for your business.
