11 things you’re doing wrong with your web design

Tips for Improving Your Website Design

Businesses continue to make the error of prioritising an aesthetically pleasing design over one that’s conversion-optimised. These may be minor errors but they can have a significant effect on your business. Purchases are harmed, unnecessary objections and problems are introduced, and visitors become overwhelmed.

The following are some website software development errors to avoid if you want to increase your website’s appeal to your target audience:

1. Your website presents too much information

When an excessive amount of information is displayed at once, the user experience suffers. You shouldn’t cram excessive information above the fold of your website. A crowded website is never a good thing. Only the most critical information should be displayed immediately on each page.

On your website, make sure to instantly display critical business information. Visitors who don’t immediately grasp the purpose of your website will leave and look for other sites that will help them find the information they need. While it’s critical to bear this in mind, it frequently results in small business owners presenting too much information instead.

A cluttered website design is unattractive to visitors. Websites with a high volume of images, text, and other elements will take an extended period to load, which will confuse your visitors. At all costs, avoid overly busy designs.

2. Your website contains almost no content

On the other end of the spectrum are websites that are nearly empty and have little content. While minimalism is fashionable at the moment, your website shouldn’t be bare. Visitors should be able to identify you and the services you provide the moment they click on your website.

3. Using low-quality photographs

In today’s digital world, a website is almost always the first point of contact a business has with its potential clients. Utilising low-quality images can negatively impact the initial impression people have about your business, resulting in long-term profit loss. For this reason, you must avoid using blurry or low-resolution images.

Your website’s photographs should be unique and high-quality. It’s also preferable to use an authentic picture of the item being sold. If this isn’t possible, you can always search for quality stock images.

4. You don’t have your contact information on your website page

If a website visitor attempts to avail of your services but can’t do so because you didn’t display your business contact information, they’ll become frustrated and leave. Additionally, it would be best if you verified that the information on the page is accurate. Your website’s ‘Contact Us’ page should always be clickable, or you should display your contact information at the bottom of each page.

5. Your website contains too many advertisements

Your website shouldn’t contain an excessive number of advertisements. A website with a disproportionate number of flashy and distracting advertisements will irritate your visitors and cost you money. While ads in the sidebar are usually acceptable to most visitors, an abundance of ads in the centre of your website blocking your content can be annoying.

6. Utilising lengthy videos

Using high-quality videos on your website can have a positive effect on visitors. However, if the video is too long, the viewer may lose interest. It’s undesirable because you’ll be unable to communicate the message of your video.

As a result, try to deliver your message using short videos to keep visitors engaged with your website. If you absolutely must use a lengthy video, divide it into two or three segments. Ideally, the duration of each video should only be between 60 and 90 seconds.

7. You don’t include links to your social media pages

Using social media to connect with new customers is a convenient way to grow your audience. Using any of the social media platforms available today, you can direct potential customers to your website. This also works the other way around; you should include links to your business’s social media pages on your website to increase your following. Link your website to social media platforms such as Instagram.

8. The site is incompatible with mobile devices

How many times have you had to zoom in on a website using your phone or tablet? Isn’t it inconvenient to do so when you’re on the go? Pinching to zoom in on a screen isn’t always convenient, especially on larger mobile devices.

There’s a technique for creating a website that’s fluid and adapts to any device. A responsive web design will immediately display data in a readable format, removing the need to pinch in or out to view it.

Moreover, when Google updated its search algorithm in early 2015, users were encouraged to ensure that their websites were responsive and adaptive to various screen sizes. Google is expected to gradually de-rank non-compliant websites and boost the ranking of those that are.

Without support for mobile devices, a significant portion of a website’s potential traffic is lost. Currently, the majority of your visitors are most likely using tablets and smartphones. This is easily confirmed by inspecting your Google Analytics data. Responsive design is a necessity in today’s world. If you’re going to communicate with your target audience, keep in mind that they’re almost certainly going to do so via their phones.

9. Using slideshows on your homepage

Slideshows are frequently used on website homepages due to their aesthetic appeal. However, it renders the website ineffective. Due to the limitations of slideshows, the information can often be distorted. Slideshows are also often browser- and internet-speed-dependent.

Because not everyone has the patience to wait for the next slide to load, slideshows may discourage your website visitors from waiting for the content in the final slide to load. For this reason, slideshows should be avoided in favour of a plain-text presentation of the data on your webpage. This way, visitors will receive your entire message.

10. Having poor website readability

Regularly check the readability of the content you publish on your website. You may have an abundance of excellent content on your site, but if your visitors can’t read it, you’ll still be unable to accomplish your marketing objectives. Ascertain that the background and text colours are complementary. The same goes for your choice of fonts.

11. Writing content without keyword research

Make sure you research keyword phrases before adding written content to your website. It is important that you research what keywords will help you generate relevant traffic to your blog posts and landing pages. You can use tools like Uber Suggest or Keyword Surfer to find highly engaging keyword phrases that are relevant to the services or products you sell.

Takeaway

To avoid common web design mistakes, you should take note of the tips above. These suggestions will help you create a seamless website. Consumer demand has increased significantly in recent years, and they won’t accept anything less. Avoiding the most common web design mistakes will allow you can create a better online experience for your audience.