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If you own a small business in 2021, you know that web design mistakes can drastically hurt your marketing performance. In the digital age, subpar websites will damage your revenue just as much as an inferior product or poor customer service. With over 80% of adults frequently ordering products and services online, stellar web design is a must-have!
However, while you might know your web design needs improvement, you might not know where to start. To help you triage your web design and marketing, the web design team at JSL Marketing & Web Design compiled this list of common web design common mistakes. This is not an exhaustive list, but if your website isn’t producing the results you want, it might be worth determining if you need to correct any of the issues laid out below.
Web Design Mistake 1: Unclear Calls To Action
The first web design mistake we see is relatively easy to fix. Too often, small businesses create pages without thinking through what they want the end-user to do. This is the infamous “call to action” of web design and it’s a pretty simple concept. Make sure to ask your website users to complete an action while on your website.
Common calls to action include…
- Call Now!
- Request Our Free eBook
- Join Our Email List
- Request A Quote
- Shop Now!
- Directions
If you don’t include a call to action like this on a page, there’s a very real chance your website users will read the page in question and leave without doing anything. Remember, the whole goal of web design isn’t just to create content. It’s to drive a business goal, be it appointments, sales, or subscriptions. Incorporate a clear and compelling ask on your web pages to make sure your website visitors know what to do.
Web Design Mistake 2: Poor Mobile Performance
Our next web design mistake is a revenue-killer. It’s no longer 2008 and the majority of Google search traffic is now coming via smartphones. If your website looks distorted, clunky, or clumsy on mobile devices after a page load, you’re basically driving your website users to leave the site almost immediately. That’s a crippling web design flaw, especially if you’re selling products via an eCommerce store.
To rectify this, use the Google Mobile-Friendly Tool to determine if your site is optimized for mobile users. If Google itself thinks your site’s mobile needs work, then it’s time to consider rethinking your web design. Google has a list of Content Management System resources on fixing a site’s mobile web design if you’re technically savvy enough to implement, but the guidance and insight of a seasoned web designer is recommended to avoid any web design snafus.
Web Design Mistake 3: Too Much Noise
This web design mistake is subjective, but it’s still imperative. A cluttered website can be confusing to users. If Web Design Mistake 1: Unclear calls to action, doesn’t ask anything of the user, a cluttered website asks too much.
- Should They Call You?
- Should They Browse Reviews?
- Should They Scroll Through Project Photos?
- Are There Too Many Ads On The Page?
There’s not a hard and fast rule to determine if a page is too cluttered, but a good starting point is your website’s bounce rate. If your bounce rate, a measure of how many users leave your site without visiting another page, is higher than 40%, evaluate how your site looks to those users.
If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of clutter on your page, it’s probably time to simplify. To fix this, try…
- Using bullet points to spread out your content
- Limiting the number of graphics and videos to 1-5 per page, depending on the length of your content
- Keeping your color scheme centered around white space
Web Design Mistake 4: Not Adhering To Google’s Best Practices
This web design mistake covers a host of search engine marketing best practices. Everything from SEO categorization, pop-up ads, social media presence, and a poor user experience could ding you in the eyes of Google and prevent you from ranking in search results. This web design error requires the attention of an experienced web developer to correct since Google’s policies are constantly updating. However, the following are good starting points.
- Avoid Popup Ads, Interstitial Pop Up Ads, or Distracting Ads.
- Avoid Backlinking To Unreputable Sites.
- Use Schema Mark Ups To Help Google Understand The Categorization Of The Page Better.
- Use Alt Text To Categorize Images
- Include A Sitemap
This is, admittedly, a very technical aspect of web design. Reach out to our team for more information!
Web Design Mistake 5: Unappealing Graphic Design
Again, this web design error is subjective, but that doesn’t make it less critical. Too often, a website can have the right call to action, be mobile-friendly, be well-spaced, and adhere to Google’s best practices and still struggle. If this is the case, it might be worth eyeballing the site and determining if the site is aesthetically appealing. Uninspiring graphic design won’t cripple your site performance as much as other design flaws listed here, but it may be an area for improvement.
Try using customized images and videos to keep the user’s attention on the page longer. Again, look at the bounce rate of the page in question. If it’s over 40%, it’s time to evaluate the page from the user’s perspective. Odds are, appealing graphic design could help significantly.
Fix Your Web Design With JSL Marketing & Web Design
Fixing your web design is a critical next step for your marketing, but it does require expertise. Our team is here for a free consultation to analyze your internet marketing. Maybe you only need a website refresh. Maybe it’s more cost-effective for you to invest in a whole new website. Our team can analyze your specific website to make a tailored recommendation for your specific.
All of our websites are…
- Custom Built On WordPress
- Properly Branded
- Mobile-Friendly
- Designed With SEO In-Mind
- Securely Encrypted
- Ecommerce & Plugin Compatible
Supercharge your marketing with a powerhouse team of web designers! We’ve helped small businesses all over Texas and the nation grow their website presence and are here to help you do the same!
We also offer the following services….
- Email Marketing
- Videography & Photography
- Social Media
- Paid Advertising
- Search Engine Optimization