Common Mistakes to Avoid When Designing a Website

Tips to make your website stand out.

Most modern websites look attractive and have advanced features and excellent operability. The main reason for the time and energy spent making these websites is because it attracts viewers. However, the impact of one’s webpage cannot be taken for granted. Your website can be responsible for the first impression your company gives off. Therefore, you must ensure that your website is optimised as much as possible to be accessed by potential customers.

When a website is not well-designed, you may notice considerably less traffic. This is a major indication that your website is riddled with common mistakes in web design. If you encounter this issue, it is high time to give your website an overhaul.

Here is a list of the most common mistakes in web design that could be holding back your website. So, without further ado, read on!

7 Common Mistakes in Web Designing

Web design can be challenging. It is something that can quickly go wrong for the inexperienced. A website’s design can easily attract or turn away a prospective customer. To make sure your website thrives, here are some common mistakes in web design you can avoid:

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Designing a Website - common mistakes

1.     Confusing layout and unattractive web design

An organised website with an effective layout and attractive web design is essential to its functionality, especially when you ask your visitors to do things like sign up for subscriptions or purchase items. Like constructing a building, a blueprint must be made to map out the navigation of the website.

Optimising its pathway and making it as easy as possible for your visitors to move are a must. If the website navigation is not thought out well enough, it could create confusion among your website visitors. They can get stuck trying to find where to go, and they will not easily find what they want. They will call it quits and never come back to your website out of frustration and confusion.

2.     Unreadable and unsightly text design

Ever stumbled upon a massive wall of text that you decided to ignore and naturally scrolled away from? Can you recall a time when a text’s font, colour, or size tired you out quickly? It is demotivating for anyone, especially your visitors, to try and read something they do not understand easily. They need to be able to read the text properly that is of ample contrast from the background colour. The text must also be simple enough to glide the eyes smoothly across the page when reading. These tips help maximise readability, enhancing the design and appeal for your website visitors.

Text design is critical for those using their phone and only limited space to fit words comprehensively. Compared to a laptop’s screen, phones have significantly smaller space, so different layouts per medium are essential. In addition, device spacing optimisation is vital to take note of when designing your text structures for visitors’ easy reading.

Even word spacing matters. Moreover, bad kerning can easily change the meaning of what you want to say.

3.     Lack of a mobile-friendly version of the website

People use their phones when surfing the internet because it is convenient. As a result, mobile-friendly layouts have become necessary. If a website is not mobile responsive, it could give users a hard time and drive them away. Phone users will not stick around to figure out the contents of a website that is hard to navigate. This lack of mobile-friendliness is also a huge contributor to the lack of digital traffic your website receives.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Designing a Website - common mistakes

4.     Outdated and uninteresting content

Nothing turns visitors away than a website that has not been updated in a while or is just downright dreary. People go to websites to get quick updates, especially in the digital age where information flows lightning fast.

To avoid this, consistency is key to keeping people motivated to check your website. You can maintain consistency by setting content schedules as well as letting your visitors know your schedules. This is so they know when they can look forward to receiving updates and new information from you.

5.     Incorrect or missing vital information

Naturally, visitors would visit websites because they want to know something about your business, like store locations or promotions. Therefore, it is vital to list basic information about your business so it can easily be seen on your website. For example, you may list your business email, phone number, professional socials, store hours, and immediate news at the forefront.

Additionally, ensure that all the information you put on your website is correct and still functional. Nothing is more annoying to a consumer than a business that still lists dead emails or non-functional numbers on its website.

If people do not see any details on your website, they will most likely avoid revisiting the site. In addition, they want fresh, easily digestible content; not having certain content can miss out on traffic. Finally, more readily available information about your business or website also aids in the site’s publicity and familiarity.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Designing a Website - common mistakes

6.     Lack of website analytics or inadequate SEO

The importance of monitoring your website’s analytics through SEO also called Search Engine Optimisation must also be stressed. It is possible to have a website set with good navigation, readability, and design, yet it still cannot gain traffic. That is because traffic depends on where your website is ranked amongst other websites in search engines like Google and Bing.

Ideally, your website will appear on the first page when a prompt is fed to the search engine. Websites that are ranked in the second, third, or even further pages do not get viewed as often. Therefore, it is imperative to ensure that your website is competitive in terms of SEO. An SEO specialist can help you with this important aspect of the website.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Designing a Website - common mistakes

7.     Unsecured and unsafe website

Secured websites have a valid HTTPS certificate. However, if your website does not have HTTPS certification, then visitors will be warned beforehand of no secure connection. This is important because such warnings can easily drive out visitors in fear of getting viruses or hacked. In addition, not having ample security can open your website to nefarious hackers who could destroy your business and credibility.

It is always wise to ask your hosting provider if they have any basic securities for host websites. You can also consult them on which security measures would be worth investing especially when dealing with money.

Additionally, you must uphold data privacy laws if you run an online business or collect data from your visitors. This also means protecting your website to keep its functionality and keep visitors safe from harm while interacting.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Designing a Website - common mistakes

Want to avoid common mistakes in web design? Choose JezNorthWeb.

JezNorthWeb can help you with all your web designing needs. If you are new to web design or need help with improving your current website, don’t be afraid to reach out. Our company has what it takes to take your site to the next level. We will ensure that your webpage looks sleek, professional, and user-friendly. With us, you can avoid the abovementioned common mistakes in web design.

Our web design specialists at JezNorthWeb have got your back. Contact us at 0455 029 199 or browse our website to know more about what we do. You can also fill out the contact form to learn more about how JezNorthWeb can assist you. Try our services today!

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