About two in three people prefer to read beautifully designed content. Meanwhile, your web design has a 75% influence on your brand’s credibility. If you’re making costly website design mistakes, you could lose potential leads and sales.
If your brand’s credibility plummets, consumers won’t trust your brand enough to shop from you, either!
Here are eight common mistakes you should avoid when designing business websites. Reviewing this guide can help you improve your site, setting your campaigns up for success. Read on to learn more.
1. Clutter
Take a look at a few different pages on your website. Are your business website pages crammed with too many page elements? If the pages look cluttered, you could overwhelm website visitors.
They won’t know where to look, which could encourage them to leave without finding the information they came for. As more people leave your website without exploring, your bounce rate will increase. A high bounce rate can indicate you’re offering a negative user experience.
Your organic search engine rankings might drop, hurting your ability to reach other consumers in the future.
Instead of leaving your pages looking cluttered, add negative space to give the content room to breathe. Remove any unnecessary elements that don’t align with the page’s unique purpose, too.
Adding negative space to your pages can help consumers distinguish page elements. You can also help the page content flow from one element to another. With minimalistic design trends, you’ll have an easier time directing them to the call-to-action (CTA).
You might find it’s easier to convert visitors into leads as a result.
Removing unnecessary elements from each page could improve your page load times, too. If your pages lag, it can further hurt the user experience.
We now have shorter attention spans than goldfish (which is nine seconds on average). In fact, people leave web pages in just 10 to 20 seconds. If the page is cluttered or they can’t find the information they need, your bounce rate will continue to rise.
2. Lack of Value or Focus
It’s not enough to remove unnecessary design elements from your business website pages, though. You also need to make sure each page has a distinct purpose. Otherwise, the visitor won’t have a reason to stay on the page.
If the page elements (headlines, images, CTA, etc.) don’t align, you could also risk confusing the visitor.
Review each page on your website and determine what value you’re offering visitors. Then, make that value the page’s focus. Feature that purpose across various page elements to maintain the visitor’s attention.
If you’re unsure how to align your page elements under one purpose, consider working with a web design agency. They can help improve your website to ensure it accomplishes your marketing goals for the year.
3. Inconsistent Branding
An inconsistent visual brand could confuse visitors as well. Your brand guidelines should outline your:
- Logo styles
- Font styles
- Colour palette
- Personality
- Tone
- Voice
- Mission statement
- Vision statement
- Distinct value
- Imagery styles
Keep your branding consistent across all website pages. If a visitor moves between pages and finds different branding, they’ll get confused. They might think they visited a different website altogether.
Maintaining brand consistency will help brand awareness grow. Eventually, consumers will begin to remember and recognize your brand. They might even associate your business with your industry or offerings.
If you don’t have brand guidelines yet, consult a marketing expert.
4. Complicated Forms
Consider how visitors convert on each page of your website. Maybe you use a form at the top of the page, at the footer, or as a pop-up. Your forms should be easy to complete.
If a form is messy, complicated, or involves too many fields, visitors might give up halfway through. You’ll start losing potential leads and sales to your competitors as a result. Instead, simplify each form on your website.
Make sure the forms appear properly on mobile devices, too. Test each of your forms as you create them to make sure they work properly.
5. Confusing Navigation
Remember, your bounce rate will increase if visitors leave without exploring other pages on your business website. To improve your bounce rate, review your website’s navigation. Make sure it’s easy to move between pages on all devices.
Remove any unnecessary pages from your main navigation bar. If necessary, add a sidebar navigation option for secondary pages.
If you display too many pages on the navigation bar, visitors won’t know where to look first.
Consider adding an eye-catching CTA button to the top right corner of the navigation bar to generate immediate conversions.
6. Weak CTAs
A strong call-to-action can help you generate more leads and sales. If a page lacks a CTA, the visitor won’t know what action you want them to complete. They might leave before completing any action.
Make sure each page’s CTA aligns with the page’s underlying purpose.
Add urgency to your CTAs by adding words like “Now” or “Today.” Make sure each CTA is clear, short, and concise, too.
7. Low Image Quality
Remember, your website’s appearance can impact your credibility. To further improve your website, consider updating your images. First, try to avoid stock photography.
Consumers are having an easier time recognizing stock images. Stock photos can make your brand look cheap or inauthentic. Instead, invest in photography services this year to truly capture your brand.
Make sure each image is clear and high-quality.
8. Neglecting Mobile Users
Nearly 60% of consumers won’t recommend a company with poor mobile web design. As you use these tips, make sure to consider mobile visitors. Run your site through Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to make sure it’s optimised.
Review each page on a smartphone or tablet to make sure it appears well on each device. Don’t forget to double-check your navigation and forms, too.
Avoid These Website Design Mistakes for Success in 2023
These website design mistakes could cost you leads or sales. Take the time to audit your business website pages this year. Remedying these mistakes can help you wow visitors and make a strong, lasting impression.
Remember, you don’t have to fix your website alone. Working with a marketing consultant could make all the difference.
Need help? Contact us for your free strategy session today!