Quite often, we have seen website designs that the owners love. But, despite the good looks and clean interface, it is hurting the business by decreasing the traffic. And they are not sure why?
When a hot new web design is in the market, surely it will be better, right? Well, that is not always the case! Designing a great website means a website that works. Yes, web design does indeed play an important role in giving your business the right audiences and customers.
But, several website designs do the exact opposite. Hence, before you launch a new website, it is important to understand how the website designs work and how your audiences perceive the new design change.
There is nothing worse than launching a website only to find that it is hurting your business. This is the reason why we are here today. With the help of African-American web designers, we have listed down ten website design mistakes that you need to avoid right now.
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Website Design Mistakes You Should Avoid
As a web designer, you must always pursue perfection by constantly seeking improvement in your work. And how can you improve? It’s simple, avoiding making these mistakes!
Mistake 1: Under-Planning Your Website
A saying goes – It is okay to overdress at a party than Underdress!
The same thing stands true for your website design. A website design must never be under-planned. Your website is the face of your brand. If your website is underperforming in the online market, so does your brand.
Mistake 2: Assuming Longer Pages Are Better
People have become accustomed to consuming content faster with the shorter content format. Hence, it is important that you do not demand too much concentration from the audience.
A longer page with a huge amount of content can be just too much for your audiences. Your text should be easily written and must be presented in smaller chunks.
Mistake 3: Not Making Your Website Mobile Responsive
The mistake most new web designers make is that they forget to make their website mobile responsive. The world of advertisements shows that more than 60% of searches are happening from mobile phones.
That means if your website is mobile-friendly, you are losing most of your potential customers.
Mistake 4: Missing Call-To-Action Buttons
Websites without a call-to-action button are like roads with traffic signs. Audiences will find it hard to navigate and take action. If you do not have CTAs, you are forcing people to find the information themselves.
This can be frustrating for the users if they don’t know where to find the right CTAs. Place the buttons in clear sight of the visitors.
Mistake 5: Fonts That Are Difficult To Read
You might believe that having curly fonts on the websites will look more appealing. Well, that’s true. But, it is also true that curly fonts are hard to read and understand, especially the smaller ones.
Hence, while designing your website, use fonts that are readable and look professional. In addition, avoid using bright colors in your fonts as they only make it harder to read.
Mistake 6: Working With Unresponsive Design
It only takes audiences 50 milliseconds to decide whether they like your website or not. So, instead of investing in web design that is complex to understand, Invest in web design that is simple and easy to navigate. Furthermore, complicated designs take more time to load, especially on smartphones.
Mistake 7: Oversized Images
Powerful imagery is a core part of website designing. People don’t have enough time to spare and read text. They want to grasp the context with simple imagery. The concept of images enhancing user experience is so high that people have now started using oversized images.
Well, using images is great for website design, but the tool of using oversize images on a website’s server can be massive. Ensures that all images that are used on the websites are optimized appropriately.
Mistake 8: Auto-Playing Videos
Almost everyone likes to consume video content, no matter the case. However, there is only one instance where most will find video content obnoxious. It is right after entering a website.
It simply deteriorates the user experience. And not to mention how auto-playing videos on the landing pages decrease the loading speed. Instead of playing videos automatically, give a play button and let the visitor make the decision.
Mistake 9: Using Generic Stock Images
Is there anything worse than finding a good website filled with cheesy stock images?
In our opinion, NO!
Stock images can reduce the authenticity of your content and affect your ranking. Furthermore, using stock images only shows how unprofessional and cheapskate you are with your web design efforts.
Avoid using stock images for your website design. And even if you are using one, ensure that it has been taken by a freelance photographer and is unique.
Mistake 10: Not Paying Attention To Website Load Time
It can be too tempting to over-design websites. You must understand that a website is just a delivery system for the information. And the best thing a website can do is to help users with simple ways to access the information.
That can’t be done with slower loading websites! Your page load time increases the bounce rate. This sends a red signal to the search engines and affects your SERPs.
Final Mistake: Too Much Stuff On Your Website
Last but not least – Too Much STUFF On The Website Home Page.
We know that most people try to give everything the moment visitors land on your website. Yes, it is one of doing things, but giving too many things at the same time can confuse or overwhelm your visitor.
Your visitor may even find it difficult to organize everything. Eventually, unable to do that, they will leave the website. Always ensure that your website is clutter-free. If you cannot present all the information on the home page, create different landing pages for different types of visitors!