Your website’s design has a 75% influence on your credibility. Without credibility, consumers won’t trust your brand. 

Meanwhile, 88% of online users won’t return to a website after a bad user experience (UX). If your site is old, outdated, or lackluster, you could scare away potential customers.

Are you making these eight costly web design mistakes? Read on to find out!

After reviewing this guide, you can determine if it’s time to invest in updating and improving your website. 

Read on to discover the common web design mistakes you’re likely making today.

1. Lacking Focus

Each page on your website should have a singular purpose. If you can’t identify the page’s purpose, visitors won’t either. As a result, you might have a difficult time urging them to complete a specific action.

Make sure each component on the page remains aligned. These page elements include the:

• Page title
• Page URL
• Headline
• Imagery
• Body text
• Call to action

If you try to cover too many concepts on the same page, you could confuse visitors. Urging them to complete different actions might confuse them as well. You might miss the chance to generate leads and sales as a result.

Instead, think about the action you want the consumer to complete on the page.

Then, clarify that message within your headline. Make sure the headline communicates the distinct value you’re offering consumers, too. Focusing on your unique value proposition could help you generate more conversions. 

2. Neglecting Mobile Users

The average time we spend on our smartphones has reached nearly 3 hours a day. Worldwide, more people own a cellphone than a toothbrush. 

However, 57% of users won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile website.

One of the biggest web design mistakes you can make is neglecting mobile users. After all, over 285 million Americans will have a smartphone by 2023. About 35% of users check their phones over 50 times a day.

Over 70% of web traffic happens on a mobile device, too. 

Run your website through Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to make sure it’s optimized for mobile devices. If it’s not, you could scare away potential customers.

Google will also look at the mobile version of your website to determine your organic search engine rankings. If your site isn’t optimized, your rankings will drop. Your competitors will rank ahead of you on search engine result pages instead.

Higher rankings can help you appeal to more consumers who want your offerings. Lower rankings, however, will make it more difficult for them to find you online.

If you plan on updating your website this year, make sure to test the finished product on both desktop and mobile devices. 

3. Inconsistencies

As you work to avoid these common web design mistakes, make sure to review every page on your site. Make sure the design elements and branding on each page remain consistent.

Otherwise, visitors might move from one page to the next, only to think they’ve landed on a different website. They might leave your site altogether as a result.

Make sure you follow your company’s brand guidelines when updating your website, too. Your branding includes your:

• Logo
• Voice
• Tone
• Personality
• Color palette
• Imagery styles
• Font styles

Consistent branding across all marketing channels will help brand awareness and recognition grow. Otherwise, consumers might struggle to recognize your brand at a glance. 

Don’t forget to make sure your logo appears at the top of each page. Link the logo to your homepage to further improve the user experience.  

4. Long Load Times

Consumers won’t wait around for web pages to load. If your site starts to lag, they’ll leave, causing a high bounce rate. You’ll lose potential leads and sales as a result. 

Make sure to run your website through Google’s PageSpeed Insights to determine what’s causing it to lag. If you’re unsure how to fix the problem, work with an experienced web design and development agency. 

Otherwise, try applying minimalistic design trends across your site.

Removing clutter from your pages could help visitors focus more on the content. They’ll have an easier time learning about your business and offerings. Then, you’ll have an easier time converting those visitors. 

5. Hard to Find Contact Information

Bad web design can impact your ability to generate conversions. If consumers can’t contact you with ease, they might take their business elsewhere.

First, make sure your contact information appears on the footer of every page on your website.

Add the contact page to your navigation bar, too. Make sure the page features your phone number, address, and email. Add an easy-to-use form to encourage people to reach out as well. 

Make sure you give visitors different ways to reach out. Providing multiple choices to contact you can help them choose the most convenient option. 

6. Missing CTAs

A strong call-to-action can help you generate more leads, sales, and conversions. If there isn’t a CTA on the page, the visitor might not convert. 

Don’t forget to consider the page’s main purpose. Then, align the CTA with that purpose.

For example, perhaps the page focuses on a specific product. Encourage consumers to “Buy Now.”

Add urgency to your CTA, too. Make sure it’s clear and compelling as well.

If people don’t understand what you want them to do, they’ll leave without converting. 

7. Confusing Navigation

If visitors struggle to explore your website, they’ll leave, causing your bounce rate to rise. If you want to avoid these common web design mistakes, look at your navigation bar. Make sure the page structure is clear, organized, and intuitive.

You don’t have to add every page on your website to the navigation bar. Instead, feature the most important pages.

Consider using sidebars to direct visitors to child pages on your site. 

8. Poor Image Quality

Strong imagery can attract the consumer’s attention and keep it. Poor images can make your brand look cheap.

Don’t overuse stock images, either, which can make your brand look ingenuine.

Instead, invest in professional photography to show off your brand. 

Avoid These Web Design Mistakes: Invest in Professional Services Today

These web design mistakes could cost you future leads and sales. Before that can happen, consider hiring an experienced web design and development agency. With their help, you can impress customers with your website.

Set your business up for success with an amazing website today. 

Ready to upgrade your company website? We’re happy to help. 

Contact us today to get started.