12 Website Design Mistakes to Avoid
by Ben Wilson on january 26th 2018
In today's digitally-driven world, a website is absolutely essential.
Without a solid web presence, it's likely that your customers will fail to know you exist, no matter how great your products or services may be. However, there's a difference between a good website and a bad website, and the latter can cost you far more than you may realise.
Here are 12 website design mistakes you need to avoid.
1. Neglecting Responsive Design
With smartphone use continuing to rise, it's important to cater to as many potential customers as possible. Responsive web design targets users on every device, providing an inclusive experience that won't allow visitors to feel neglected or excluded.
2. Using a Free Website Builder
Free may sound like a great deal, but an amateur site can ruin your ranking and your reputation. Instead, focus on custom designs from a professional website design firm that can take your wants and need into consideration without sacrificing quality.
3. No Call to Action
A call to action, or CTA, is more than just a convenient way to wrap up a webpage; instead, it's a marketing tactic that shows consumers how to act. Without a concrete CTA, you may leave site visitors scratching their heads, confused about where to go next.
Web Force 5's easy content management platform and website design tools simplify the decisions surrounding CRM setup and field selection dramatically because they are so intuitive. In addition, our emphasis on offering personalised attention to each of our clients means that we'll be with your business every step of the way.
4. Absent Analytics
Website analytics, like Google Analytics and other hosted dashboards, aren't just for show. Instead, these platforms are designed to help you find out what's working, what isn't, and how you can improve. When you ignore analytics, it's easy to let your site head in the wrong direction.
5. Lacking Approach to SEO
Search engine optimisation, or SEO, is a critical part of ensuring your website ranks. Without a proper approach to keywords and phrases, meta titles and descriptions, back links, and local data, it's easy for your pages to get lost in the shuffle.
6. Ignoring the User Experience
Your website isn't about you; it's about your customers. When your site doesn't cater to user experience, you're going to lose potential buyers in a matter of minutes, sending them to competitor sites that can offer a coherent approach to organisation.
7. Inadequate Information
Your website should provide a detailed summary of your business, not just a brief overview. In determining the content provided, be sure you include information regarding every major facet of your products or services as well as your mission, goals, and industry position.
8. Low-Quality Content
There's no room for keyword stuffing or grammar errors on your website. When creating content, ensure it is original, unique, and high quality, giving Google motivation for a high ranking rather than a spot buried at the end of the search engine results pages.
9. A Lack of Updates
Opening hours change? New phone number? Different office? Whenever something changes in your business, your site needs to reflect this. Stay up to date on everything from products and services to team members to ensure customers always have access to reliable information.
10. Broken Links
Broken links can raise red flags, both for website visitors and Google. Whether you have internal links, external links, or both throughout your site, it's important to make sure they're all in good working order. Be sure to verify and update links as needed.
11. Hidden Contact Information
Customer contact is a big part of the sales process, so why jeopardise that when you don't have to? Instead of hiding your number, email, or address deep in the bowels of your site, make sure every conceivable form of contact is readily available and easy to access.
12. Super Slow Loading
The slower your page loads, the less likely your visitors are to bother. When your load times exceed three seconds, bounce rates start to increase dramatically, leading even interested buyers to look elsewhere. Make sure your site is optimised for speed and performance before going live.
Conclusion
When you want a site that's always on the cutting edge, professional custom website design services can make all the difference. With help from Web Force 5, you can be sure your business doesn't make any of these 12 critical pitfalls.