5 Common Website Design Mistakes

It’s no secret that if you want your business to be successful, having a strong online presence is critical in this day and age. A well-designed website is key to reaching new customers, building credibility, and nurturing client relationships.

While you may hear a lot of opinions on what your website design should do, do you know what NOT to do?

To help you out, we put together this list of the five common design mistakes companies make regarding website development. Avoid them while designing your website or correct them if you already have a website, and you should see an increase in converting visitors into new customers/clients.

Why do you need a well-designed website?

A well-designed website can help your business grow! A flawless design creates a great impression on your potential customers, influencing them to take the desired call-to-action (CTA). 

Stats about consumers’ internet use:

• Currently, around 167.8 million U.S. consumers who have made at least one purchase online.
•  81% of people research online before making a purchase online.
•  E-commerce revenue is projected to increase to 563.4 billion dollars by 2025. 

Website design is not mobile-friendly

Over 4.3 billion people worldwide use their mobile devices to access the internet. It’s safe to say, people are constantly connected nowadays. If your site doesn’t offer a mobile-friendly experience, your customers are missing out —` and you will likely miss out too, on their business that is.

In fact, according to data obtained by Google’s Mobile Playbook:

• 40% of online users have gone to a competitor’s website after a bad mobile experience.
• 57% say they will not recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site.

Your website should offer a consistent experience on all devices–desktop, 

tablet, and especially mobile. Consider a responsive web design for your mobile design, which facilitates an optimal and user-friendly experience and is Google-approved for SEO. 

No clear CTA

Your CTA is a prompt that is written with a persuasive command attached to a link or button. It’s main goal is to clearly communicate to customers what their next step should be and motivate them to take that action. These links/buttons can take them to landing pages such as a sign-up sheet, a scheduling page or a check-out process. 

One of the biggest mistakes we see in website design is no clear CTA. With no straightforward action to take, visitors will be left feeling disengaged, and as a result may leave your website and move on to your competition. 

When it comes to creating your CTA, remember what, where, and how. 

• What do you want your visitors to do?
• Where does the CTA need to go?
• How do you want your visitors to feel?

Some other tips to consider when creating your CTA:

• Use content that explains the value of your products or services, along with a compelling phrase that prompts action and urgency.
• Be transparent with your language.
• Keep it uncomplicated and brief. Tell visitors precisely what to do!

Examples of strong CTA’s:

• Add to Cart
• Start your free trial 
• Reserve your seat
• Download your free copy now

Cluttering the design with too much content

Your website should inform and educate your audience. It should also convince them why they need your product or service and why you are the best in the industry. This is where it can get tricky…

If your website content has too little information, you risk not giving your visitors a clear explanation that you have the solution they are looking for. On the flip side, provide too much information, and you may end up leaving the visitor confused and overwhelmed. 

To avoid this popular website mishap, we suggest you consider the following: 

• Think about your brand message and mission – what are your values and beliefs? This is what sets you apart from your competition!
• Create content that is compelling to your audience and connects with them on an emotional level.
• Consider how your content caters to your particular target demographic and audience. What do your customers want and need to hear? 
• Content should educate, not sell. People don’t want to be sold to. 
• Skip the generic messages, and answer the question: why should people care about my company/product/services?
• Be clear and concise- get to the point, and don’t use confusing vocabulary 
• Apply best SEO practices in each of your page’s content.

This brings us to our next common design mistake…..

Ineffective Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Yes, a website with poor design will mean the user experience is unsatisfactory,  but the content can also make or break traffic to said website depending on how it’s optimized. Excellent content provides exceptional value and gets found organically on search engines.

That being said, search engine algorithms have grown to be a lot smarter than they used to be. So, if your SEO is terrible/non-existent, then you might as well throw your whole content away. 

There are several key points to hone in on when it comes to maintaining effective SEO for your website:

• Include primary and secondary keywords
• Focus on long-tail keywords 
• Have an appropriate word count
• Ensure smooth readability
• Create optimal meta title and description tags

Poorly designed/irrelevant images 

We established that content is an essential part of your website. Photos and graphics are also a fundamental part of your website design. Images can convey vital information quickly to your visitors before they even read a single word.  

With that being said, many businesses regularly use irrelevant or low-quality images on their website. Images that aren’t of the highest quality will ruin your website and turn off visitors. Likewise, unrelated images will confuse visitors, making them wonder what you’re trying to convey. (Remember what we said about first impressions?)

Final thoughts

While website costs can be a hefty investment, making sure you have a flawless design is priceless. Your website can be one of your business’s most significant assets when creating an online presence. Avoiding or fixing these common mistakes will help your website build brand loyalty and stand out from your competition. 

Here at Firon Marketing, we specialize in defining brand strategy and identity, website development and digital marketing solutions. We help businesses of all sizes build a solid online presence that gets results. See how we can help with your next project.