Creating an engaging and effective website is essential for a business aiming to establish a strong online presence.
However, many companies make common design mistakes that can provide a sub-par user experience and result in lower conversion rates. If these pitfalls are not identified and addressed, the companies can be negatively affected, while the competition will benefit.
By addressing the design mistakes, businesses can enhance the performance and appeal of their website.
We look at the top five website design mistakes that businesses need to avoid.
Neglecting Mobile Responsiveness
Mobile traffic now accounts for more than 60 percent of web traffic. If your website isn’t optimized for smartphones and tablets, it is effectively still in the medieval ages. There is a risk of alienating a large audience due to this.
As of July 2024, even Google has started prioritizing mobile-first pages. If your website content isn’t accessible on a mobile device, Google simply would not index it.
A non-responsive design can also mean a frustrated user experience, like the content not fully visible on the screen. Visitors already have a lot of choices, and they would quickly switch to a competitor’s website.
How to fix this? Follow the mobile-first design approach. The layout has to be optimized for smaller screens first. Test the website on various screens to double-check that crucial elements like the call to action(CTA) button are displayed correctly. Also, see that the design templates used are optimized for mobile.
Overloading with Content and Graphics
Do you know that if your website takes more than 2.5 seconds to load, the visitors will get impatient and simply leave?
Many businesses have loads of information that they want to provide to visitors. In the zeal to list out everything, they overload the website with text or images, which can be overwhelming. The website can look cluttered and with every website element asking for attention, the visitor gets confused.
To fix this, create a draft where you remove everything and only the whitespace remains, then use clarity and brevity to provide the most essential content in the least words possible.
Use headings, bullet points and short paragraphs, enhancing readability. Use images that don’t distract but complement your message in a clean way.
Complicated Navigation
A confusing navigational structure of the website can drive away users. If the users are struggling to find what they are looking for, they are more likely to give up, increasing the website bounce rate.
Fixing this means a clean intuitive design. You need to limit the number of menu items and use clear, easily clickable labels. An easy-to-find search button, one that provides the right results instantly, is a must.
An AI builder can help here. Hocoos states that AI-powered builders can create designs with valuable tools and templates for a professional and user-friendly website.
Ignoring the Basic SEO Best Practices
Even if the website is beautifully designed, if it does not rank on search engines, it will not have any organic visitors.
No company can afford to ignore search engine optimization (SEO) as it leads to low visibility and less discovery of your website. The good news is that SEO optimization is easy, and does not require a lot of complicated work, as many assume.
To fix this, ensure SEO best practices are taken care of right from inception. Optimizing title tags, tagging images with alt text and having meta descriptions are basic SEO hygiene.
Use header tags to structure your content strategically. Use the industry keywords organically to ensure your website is ranked by search engines like Google.
No Clear Call To Action (CTA)
Many websites don’t have call-to-action (CTA) buttons. Others have confusing CTA buttons or multiple clickable options that overwhelm visitors.
A clear CTA is a must, as without it, visitors may not know what steps to take next. If they do not see the CTA, they will simply be lost and leave the website. This can lead to missed conversion opportunities.
This is easily fixed by incorporating action-oriented CTAs that are prominent and have contrasting colors. High visibility is important here. Also, ensure that visitors don’t have to scroll too long to find CTAs.
Five Mistakes, Easily Fixed
Businesses need to fix these common website design mistakes to enhance their website’s user experience and overall effectiveness. In this day and age, it’s not an option but a necessity that cannot be ignored.
By fixing the issues, businesses can create a website that engages visitors and drives conversions.
