7 Common Design Mistakes to Avoid for Business Websites
Making a website for your business isn’t as easy as just getting a free WordPress preset and throwing all of your information on the landing page.
People respond to well-designed web pages. They’re nicer on the eyes and easier to navigate. Unfortunately, a lot of businesses make some common website design mistakes. If your website is not both visually appealing and user-friendly, it may not be driving the results you need to reach your goals.
If you want to avoid some of the more common mistakes that many business websites end up making at least once, you’re in the right place. Keep reading to learn seven (7) common mistakes to avoid for business websites.
1. Hidden or Poor Navigation
If a website isn’t user-friendly, your users aren’t going to be able to navigate it. They’ll likely get frustrated and give up, meaning less engagement and fewer conversions for you.
It would be best if you had a transparent menu somewhere labeled with the destinations that your ideal audience is looking for. If it’s a drop-down menu, ensure that it actually functions.
Some drop-down menus are so sensitive that they roll back up when a customer scrolls over the desired destination. This means that they’re not going to get to that page.
Also, ensure that all of the links work. Having a highly visible menu is the first step, but making sure it’s functional is the second. Don’t leave your customers clicking on links that don’t exist.
2. No Contact Information
What’s the purpose of your website? If you’re running a business, you likely want your potential clients and customers to be able to get a hold of you somehow, right?
Most good websites have a contact page that’s easy to find. You may see a pre-made form for sending messages on that page, or you might see the general contact info.
If you have neither of these things (or if they’re hidden due to poor navigation), your customers can’t get in touch. They won’t know where you are or how to email or call you. They’ll likely move on.
3. Too Much Blank Space
Inexperienced web designers (especially those that aren’t digital natives) are prone to setting up very minimalist websites. Minimalism is excellent when used stylistically, but when it’s just a lack of effort or know-how, it’s not a good look. While we mentioned that not having contact information is terrible, it’s also not good to only have contact information on an otherwise blank site.
Your website should be appealing to the eye. Customers should have their eyes drawn from one thing to the next. If your website is too blank, this won’t happen.
4. An Overabundance of Misplaced Ads
There’s nothing inherently wrong with having ads on your site. They generate income, and when used correctly, they don’t get in the way of the user experience.
Ads have to be used strategically, however. They should be kept to the margins of the site, not popping up in the middle or anywhere near where customers are trying to click or read.
Annoying ads that take your customers where they don’t want to go while trying to use your site can make a few things happen. They might end up just blocking ads from your website, or they can abandon it altogether. Remember the user experience if you’re placing ads. What would annoy you?
5. Not Mobile-Friendly
An estimated 2 billion people use the internet primarily on their phones. That’s a lot of people you’ll miss out on if you’re not running a mobile-friendly site.
If a website isn’t optimized for use on phones or tablets, it can be nearly unusable, and people may opt-out altogether. You need to have a mobile-friendly website in 2020.
There are a few ways to optimize for mobile use. Ensuring that your website is responsive and compressing large images is a great start.
You can also check mobile-friendliness with this tool from Google.
If nothing else, you should be checking your own website’s mobile interface. Look at the site from a phone and a larger tablet. Does everything work correctly?
6. Too Many Large Images
Too many large photos and videos can make a website look sloppy. More importantly, though, it can make a website load incredibly slowly.
When you’re working on web design, there are appropriate places for large videos or photos. Generally, they’re one to a page, and they’re often compressed for more effortless loading. Pictures and videos are essential to your overall design, but they need to be functional.
A website that runs slowly will be unappealing to the people who are trying to access it. Give your photos and video room to do their work and don’t expect visitors to stick around waiting for slow loading images or pages.
7. Too Much Going On
We already mentioned that having a website that’s too minimal can be problematic. However, It’s just as harmful to have a website that is too overwhelming.
Everyone has seen one of these websites (maybe it’s yours, we won’t judge). The fonts are all in different colors. The background is bold and distracting. There might be music or a video autoplaying from an unidentified source. This isn’t a good look. It’s kitschy and dated and not user friendly.
Have You Made These Website Design Mistakes?
Everyone makes a few design mistakes on their first try of creating a website. It’s time to fix them and make your site one that everyone wants to use.
If you need web design to bring your website to the next level, it might be time to call in the professionals. Visit our site to check out our work and contact us today. We want to work with you!
