When you’re running a business online, the last thing you want to worry about is web design mistakes - your cup is already overflowing.
Web design mistakes
But web design mistakes can creep in when you take your eye off the ball. And you don’t want your customers’ first impression of your website to be a bad one.
So take some time to look over your website and make sure you rectify any silly web design mistakes it may have. Ask yourself several important questions to ensure you’re on the right track.
Questions such as:
What are my business goals with my website?
Who is my target audience?
How will I reach my target audience?
How will I drive traffic to my website?
The reason you need to answer these questions is because if your website doesn’t help you reach your target audience, nor achieve your business goals, then rather than waste more time, energy and money flogging a dead website horse, you might need to go back to the website drawing board.
Common web design mistakes
Some silly web design mistakes can be easily remedied, others not so much. Easy ones include:
1. Unclear calls to action
If your calls to action are'nt obvious, or are too vague, or missing entirely, then you need to get your thinking hat on.
Because once you’ve achieved the holy grail of drawing people to your website, don't assume they will know what you want them to do next. Most visitors need to be told where you want them to go, what you want them to do.
Use compelling language that is persuasive and prompts action. You don’t need to write riddles or use flowery language. Keep your call to actions simple and easy to follow:
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These are simple commands that we’ve all seen on various websites. There’s no misunderstanding, it’s apparent what the website designer wants you to do.
2. Not measuring performance
If you don’t know how your website is performing, how will you know if it’s working or not? Keeping track of your website’s KPIs has never been so easy.
There are so many analytics tools you can use, the easiest of which is Google Analytics - a freemium tool from the very people who can get your website where you need it to go.
Google analytics gives you a wealth of information about your website users, you can even use it to set up goals and track conversions. It’ll also help you reach the right customers and show you what action you need to take to improve UX.
And the best thing about keeping on top of KPIs? With digital marketing, it’s so easy to test and adjust when things aren’t working as well as you’d hoped.
3. Telling bad stories
How do you ensure your website is persuasive? By telling a story that people can understand and connect with.
It doesn't matter what your core values are or what great work you’re doing, if your web design tells a bad story, or doesn’t convey your message, or if it’s too generic, no one is going to pay you any attention because you won’t stand out from the competition.
The easiest way to make a connection with your target audience is by addressing their needs and solving their problems.
Here’s a key business lesson (if you aren’t already aware) - no one cares about your business or what it does. People only care about themselves and making sure their needs are met.
Want to ingratiate yourself with people? Give them what they want. Acknowledge their pain points and show them how you can help them.
4. Too much going on up top
Have you ever clicked on a website and been overwhelmed by a barrage of information, photos, text etc? What did you do? Click off it again to save your sanity?
Don’t let your website be that website.
Don’t try to cram in as much as possible above the fold because you heard that if you make users scroll down, they’ll bounce. They’ll bounce for sure if your website is overcrowded, that much is certain.
5. Using poor visuals
What’s worse than no visuals? Poor visuals.
Blurry photographs, stock images that don’t convey any message other than your company brand as a personality void zone, or badly optimised images all leave a bad impression.
If a picture paints a thousand words, save on your copywriting bill and use a great image. Not a low quality image or an irrelevant image, a great one.
Not sure how to rectify your silly web design mistakes yourself?
Use a web design company, (most importantly, that knows what they're doing) to help you out.
They will show you where your website could be improved, or better yet, use a professional to avoid making silly web design mistakes in the first place.
