When it comes to web design, there are many common mistakes that businesses and individuals make. The most common is to simply neglect mobile design even though it represents 90% of website traffic. Every web designer focuses on desktop design because they work on their computer.
Mistakes like these can be extremely costly for businesses and make them loose a lot of opportunities. We’ve made a list of the six most common web design mistakes. Most of them can be easily fixed but they can also make a fast positive impact on your conversion rate.
1) Power of web hosting
Your website needs to be hosted somewhere, that’s a fact. Plus, web hosting is essential for ensuring the speed and reliability of your site. Without a reliable hosting provider like NameHero, your visitors may be presented with slow loading times. Even worse, they might not be able to access to your site at all. There are many web hosting resellers available, so be sure to do some research and find a reliable provider.
We recommend looking at the customer service, uptime, and bandwidth of each provider before making a decision. Additionally, make sure to choose a hosting plan that can accommodate the expected size and traffic of your website. For example, if you’re expecting a lot of traffic opting for a larger plan could be the best option. If you expect a smaller number of visitors, it may be best to choose a basic hosting plan. This way, you can pay for the services and features you need without overspending.
2) Mobile optimization first
Nowadays, more people are using their phones and tablets to browse the web. This means that mobile optimization is a must for any website. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile devices, visitors may have difficulty navigating it. Make sure you test your website on different devices and optimize it for ease of use on all platforms.
You can even use tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to see how well your site is performing. Don’t forget to ensure all your content is optimized for mobile as well. Your images, videos, and text should all be resized or reformatted for smaller screens. Doing this will ensure your website is easily accessible for everyone, no matter what device they’re using.
3) Make it visual over textual
When putting together your website design, make sure you include visual elements as well as text. Long paragraphs of text can be overwhelming and cause viewers to lose interest in staying on your page. Incorporate images, videos, graphs, and other visuals that help break up the text and make it easier to read. This can also help you explain more complex topics in an easier-to-understand format. Additionally, visuals can draw attention and make your content stand out amongst the competition.
4) The 3 clicks rule for web navigation
Creating well-structured navigation so visitors can easily find what they’re looking for is very important. Confusing navigation can cause visitors to become frustrated and leave your site without exploring any further. Make sure you keep menus, links, and other navigational aspects consistent across all pages. You can also think about the less than 3 clicks rule. Every page has to be accessible in less than 3 clicks. Finally, utilize breadcrumbs to allow users to quickly go back to a page or two if needed. Gold Coast web design recommends to have users find what they’re looking for in less than two clicks.
5) Not enough CTA’s
Calls-to-action is an essential element of web design as they provide direction for visitors on what to do next. Without them, likely, viewers will simply move on from your website without taking the required action. If you want them to buy or subscribe to your newsletter, you must create CTA’s. We also recommend adding them multiple times on the page if the page is long. Finally, you want them to stand out from the other content in order to truly perform.
6) Poor SEO optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) should always be a top priority when designing a website. It can have a huge impact on how easily people find your site online. SEO is the practice of optimizing web pages so they appear higher in search results. The end result is to drive high intent traffic to your website. When creating your design, remember to include keyword research, proper tagging and linking strategies. Doing that will ensure your website is properly indexed. SEO is one of the most consistent marketing approach because it leverages people’s already existing intent.
Web design is a complex process needing careful thought and planning. Without a proper strategy, you will lose out on a lot of opportunities. These common web design mistakes are important to keep in mind because they are easy to forget. You can see them as web design basics to leverage for your next project.
A great website allows the user to find what they want quickly while making a great impression. We always have a goal when it comes to business. You might want people to purchase or give you their information as leads. For that, you need a proper SEO optimization structure and CTAs. You’ll need to be creative to be better than the competition but it’s not black or white. In fact, having average SEO is already much better than no SEO at all.
Now it’s your turn to take action and make these changes to your website. Add some CTA’s, improve your SEO, add some visuals and optimize for mobile. If you need any help with web design don’t hesitate to contact us, we’d love to help you out!