5 Far Too Common Web Design Disasters and How to Fix Them
A poorly designed website is kind of like a sales assistant who shrugs their shoulders every time you ask them a question. And given that your website is probably the first place customers will go to find information about your business, it’s important to get it right. Here are 5 web design mistakes to steer clear of.
Using a Free Website Builder
We know those website builders that let you ‘drag and drop’ website elements are tempting, but believe us when we tell you that they’ll make you want to pull your hair out pretty soon. In order to give you the ability to drag and drop certain things, these website builders are adding lines upon lines of otherwise unnecessary code. Your page load speeds will quickly become unbearable, and you’ll start to see glitches that are difficult to fix.
If you’re new to web design and you want a website that will be simple to edit, WordPress is your best bet. WordPress websites come with easy-to-navigate content management systems, all the while successfully hosting large and complex websites with minimal hiccups.
Lots of Text
In the age of Instagram and Netflix, people have pretty short attention spans. If they come to your website and see a wall of text, it’s a safe bet that they won’t take the time to read it. Be selective about the most important aspects of your business that you want potential customers to know about, and put these salient points front-and-centre.
By all means, link to in-depth info on other pages of your website, but keep your home page clean and tidy.
Focussing on Visual Appeal
Now, don’t get us wrong, we’re all about making websites look as aesthetically pleasing as possible – it’s an integral part of making a brand stand out. That being said, the visual appeal of your website should never come before functionality. After all, what use is a beautiful website if you can’t find contact details, or even a navigation menu?
It’s important to think about what you want your visitors to be doing, whether that’s buying products, registering for email newsletters or reading your content. If your website design isn’t encouraging those actions, it isn’t serving its purpose, and you’re missing valuable opportunities to convert website traffic into returning customers.
Lengthy Registration Forms
Ever come across those email sign up forms that want your first name, last name, mobile number, date of birth and the song you listened to last Thursday? Chances are, you were out of there pretty quickly. Registration forms should be asking for as little information as possible to provide customers with quality information related to your business.
Studies also show that your email sign-up form will be more successful if you disclose how often you’ll be sending them stuff. So give your visitors a heads up that you’ll only send them info once a day, fortnight, month, etcetera, and keep your promise. Nobody likes spam.
Avoiding Responsive Design
Once you’ve spent hours upon hours perfecting your web design, it would be so disappointing to discover that it displays completely differently on a mobile phone, or a massive iMac. As a business owner or digital marketer, you want to make sure that every single one of your customers has a seamless experience navigating through your website.
This is why it’s imperative to hire a web designer that knows what they’re doing when it comes to responsive design. It can be tricky business, but it’s worth every single second of effort.
Need Some Assistance?
If you’d like help getting your web design Brisbane squared away, we have a talented team of designers and developers at the ready. Here at Lance Montana, we focus on creating lean websites from the core out. We research, test and strategise to give you the most effective website possible. Get in touch with our web design Brisbane team to receive a quote.