The world of design is incredibly subjective, and ultimately it’s up to you to help create the overall look and feel of your website, even if you have a web design team. Website design mistakes are completely avoidable, but it’s important to take key factors into consideration when making decisions in the design process.
You’re the creative director in this scenario, whether you’re building it yourself or you have a team at your disposal! A good web designer will be able to help direct your project and guide you to something that’s effective, creates conversions, and is ultimately friendly to the eyes and for search engines. That said, mistakes are still frequently made, and these website design mistakes can help keep you from potentially alienating people that visit your site!
There are several aspects of design to be mindful of, when going through the process. These are four of the most impactful design mistakes, to keep you from potentially losing out on traffic you want and deserve!
Website Design Tips
- Unclear Navigation
Ultimately, you want the user to be able to access every part of your website simply, and easily. If they cannot find a way to contact you, or accomplish their own agenda, then they will simply leave! Not only does that affect your overall ability to turn that person into a customer or frequent visitor, but it also has an impact on your overall SEO optimization!
Keeping users on your site as much as possible will only benefit you in the long run. That’s why it’s important to make it easier on them to stay!
- Stay Away from having “Too Much”!
Too many ads, too many colors, or simply too much stuff can be impactful on a user’s desire to stay on your site. From a design perspective, you want to keep your site easy on the eyes and attractive to visitors.
Choose no more than 2-3 colors for an effective color palate, don’t stuff in too many ads if you have any, and make sure that users have a clear understanding of where to go to get the information they’re seeking.
Once again, these are all aspects that can deter a user from staying on your website. You want to keep your “bounce” rate low, and this could elevate your bounce rate. Bear in mind, that this is also a Google ranking factor you can help control simply by keeping your site easy to use!
- Small Font Size
While users can change their font size in their browsers, it is not ideal to force users to modify their web experience simply to view your website! Keeping font size friendly to as many users as possible is the ticket to design success!
This also helps to make sure your content is clean and to the point! That way users aren’t deterred from reading your content, which will also have a positive impact on your search engine optimization.
- Not Optimized for Mobile
Did you know that over 50% of web traffic comes from mobile devices?
To ensure your website complies with this ever growing statistic, it must either be mobile responsive design, or have a separate mobile site. Designers have had to evolve to ensure that each website they complete is also friendly to mobile devices, so don’t be afraid to ask about this aspect, during the design process.
Ultimately, ensuring that the user has a comfortable experience should come first and foremost when designing your website. When considering hiring a web design team, or deciding to take a DIY approach, avoiding these mistakes will help you create design magic! Not only will it help you create an end product you can be proud of, but these tips can also help you if you’re having trouble choosing a design team that can see your project through.
Are you a designer? What other tips would you recommend to ensure a website is user-friendly?
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