Having a great website design isn’t a luxury today. With so many websites on the internet that have amazing experiences, consumers now expect it when browsing. And when 59% of internet users prefer beautiful websites, it makes sense to invest in design. Knowing the website design mistakes for beginners to avoid is vital for building a fantastic web experience. Below are eight errors you can’t afford to make.
1. Making Things Too Complicated
In an attempt to provide a ton of value to visitors, you may have the temptation to cram as much information as possible on your website pages. You do this to try and provide value. Unfortunately, this will backfire much of the time.
The people visiting your pages usually have a single goal. The website pages you design should account for that goal and only provide the information required.
Do this by creating simple page designs that get straight to the point.
2. Having no Goal
You can make an amazing website design, but if it doesn’t serve a purpose, you only waste time instead of working on tasks with more value. A website needs a goal. Your goal will inform your design and help you meet your business goals.
For instance, you may have a home improvement company. Your website goal will be to inform customers about your service and convince people to call for an appointment.
Your website will act to build your brand’s credibility and encourage people to pick up the phone. On the other hand, an informational website like Areenaz will try to keep people reading the next article.
3. Not Designing for Every User
In many cases, you’ll design your website on a desktop computer. You do this because your monitor’s screen size offers a great viewing experience for working and will help you accomplish more in less time.
You may only test your website’s design on that screen if you do this. If that happens, you fail to account for viewers on different devices.
Make sure you test different screen sizes to make sure you have a responsive design. This will ensure everyone has a great viewing experience. It may cost more of your web design budget, but providing a mobile-friendly website will help you give a better first impression to mobile users.
4. Ignoring Website Loading Speed
It’s tempting to go overboard when designing a website and add a ton of features, plugins, and images. You can make a website that looks great when doing this. But you have to ask yourself, are you adding too much bloat to your website?
The more you add to your website, the more visitors must download. That can lead to longer loading times. And if those loading times are too long, you risk people leaving to find a faster website.
Try to keep your loading times to under a few seconds. It should be this way for people on the slowest connections to ensure everyone can properly view your website.
5. Ignoring Accessibility
Most people won’t have a problem viewing your website. They don’t have any health problems that prevent them from operating devices normally or seeing what’s on them.
But not everyone is that way. Some people have disabilities that limit the ways they can use devices.
There are accessibility options on the web that accounts for this. You can cater to people who use screenreaders and other medical devices to browse the web. Explore the accessibility options available and use them on your website.
Doing this will show you care about everyone and boost your brand’s reputation.
6. Poor Navigation
People don’t want to spend all their time finding something on a website. They want to find information and products quickly. If they have to dig through several pages to find what they need, the chances are good that they will head elsewhere.
Take time to optimize your website’s navigation. People should be able to get to any page on your website in a few clicks. When this happens, people will quickly find what they need, trust your brand more, and be more likely to become customers.
7. Having no Call to Action
Having enough information on each page will work wonders for information customers. But it isn’t the only thing you should do on your pages. How are people expected what action to take next when you don’t tell them?
A call to action is a website element that gives someone the next action. If you want someone to read more articles on your website, link to related articles once they finish reading. If you have a sales pitch for a product, place a link to the product and a way to buy it.
8. Inconsistent Branding
It’s tempting to make unique pages on a website. You want each page to stand out, so you create unique designs that are drastically different from the others.
Doing this will make your website more unique. But at the same time, it’s hard to convey a brand image when doing this.
Try to stay consistent with your branding across your website. Use similar fonts, colors, and other elements. You can add a few unique design elements occasionally, but find a way to come back to enhancing your brand.
Don’t Make Website Design Mistakes for Beginners
Designing a website is easier said than done. Sure, you can get a pre-built theme if you use a platform like WordPress. But at the same time, you’ll end up with a cookie-cutter website that looks like many other websites on the internet.
If you want your brand to stand out, you need a business website homepage that enhances your brand. Avoid the website design mistakes for beginners above to build a website that meets your needs.
Are you interested in learning more tips for getting the most out of your business website? Learn more by checking out the other website articles.