10 Website Design Mistakes to Avoid

If good design is good business, then we can all agree that a poorly designed website can be bad for business.

If your website design is not well thought out, it can potentially hurt your chances of increasing your traffic and conversions. 75% of consumers judge a business's credibility based on its website design and 1 in 2 visitors abandon a website that takes more than 6 seconds to load. These website design mistakes might be the reason why your traffic is on the decline.

There are other website design mistakes that could be hampering your website’s potential. So, let's take a look at some of the most common website blunders you need to be aware of.

WEBSITE DESIGN MISTAKE #1: NOT MOBILE OPTIMISED

Google has shifted to "mobile-first" and rewards mobile websites with a good search result ranking. Without a doubt, your website must be optimised for every device possible in order to reach new heights in the search engine. Don't miss out on this audience and search traffic.

WEBSITE DESIGN MISTAKE #2: INCONSISTENT WEB DESIGN

A cluttered website design can make a website overwhelming, difficult to navigate, and hard to locate information. You can never "over-plan" when designing your website - you wouldn't open a restaurant without a robust business plan. If you're a quirky, fun-loving business, make sure this echoes throughout your website.

WEBSITE DESIGN MISTAKE #3: SLOW-LOADING SITE

You're seconds away from either hurting your SEO or feeding it into the page one rankings. If your website takes too long to load, you need to revisit your website design elements and plugins to see if it needs updating.

WEBSITE DESIGN MISTAKE #4: DIFFICULT NAVIGATION

Your website needs to be fully functional so your users can easily navigate and take action. If you have a clean design and navigation is still difficult, you need to redesign your website, map it correctly for your users, and make sure all elements and menu layouts are easy to find and use.

WEBSITE DESIGN MISTAKE #5: “CONTACT US” PAGE IS HARD TO LOCATE

Businesses should have a detailed contact us page with "contact us" forms that work, rather than a direct link to the relevant departments within your business. It’s also important to include your business hours, contact details, and location.

WEBSITE DESIGN MISTAKE #6: STOCK PHOTOS

Overuse of stock standard images makes your website appear generic. Aside from the fact they might not resonate with your brand, online users would want to be connected with you on a deeper level which the stock photos could not deliver.

WEBSITE DESIGN MISTAKE #7: OUT-OF-DATE BUSINESS INFORMATION

As your business grows, a lot of updates may happen. Menu's, email addresses, phone numbers, and business addresses can change. If you forgot your site to update, you'll miss out on potential traffic or worse a bad review. Don't damage your google street credibility and risk any impact on your SEO strategy.

WEBSITE DESIGN MISTAKE #8: “SALESY” APPROACH

This is a cringe-worthy mistake that you must avoid. An overly "salesy" approach can scare customers away. Avoid pitching your products and try telling a story about your brand instead. Don't advertise your product on your content 10 times a day. Your content should engage, excite and educate.

WEBSITE DESIGN MISTAKE #9: CTA [CALL TO ACTION] MISSING IN ACTION

The purpose of a CTA is to bring your visitors back to your website. A simple "Learn more", "Explore" or "Contact our friendly team to get started" will work.

WEBSITE DESIGN MISTAKE #10: NOT MARKETING YOUR WEBSITE CONTENT

After publishing new content, promote and market it on all of your social media streams. Make sure you only create relevant content that aligns with your brand and industry. If you're a Digital Marketing Business, focus on Digital Marketing topics and subtopics. After all, you don't want visitors to think your site has been hacked by cats.

Make no mistake when you hire Elephant in the Boardroom to take over your website design. Our web designers and developers have what it takes to create a high-performing and lead-generating website that delivers exactly what your business needs - with the users in mind every step of the way.?