Show of hands. How many of you think you have a great website? Everyone? Of course you do. Everyone THINKS they have a great website, but in reality you would be shocked at the number of great businesses that have a bad web design that is not only deteriorating their image but killing their business.
More often than not these design mistakes are unintentional and made out of blissful ignorance. But in this day and age when your website design can make or break your business, it should be treated as a proper investment that can raise your bottom line rather than as an inconvenient expense.
So what website mistakes are currently sinking your business? Let’s take a look.
Slow Load Times
Internet users are notoriously impatient and inherently intolerant of slow loading sites. Page speed is crucial when it comes to a user's experience. In fact, statistics show that one-quarter of all your audience will leave if your website fails to load within the first four seconds, which will ultimately lead to loss of conversions and sales.
To remedy this, make sure that you have a well-optimized site and have reliable web hosting to keep everything running at optimal condition.
Bad Design or Layout
Humans are visual creatures. A bad layout or design can ruin your business reputation in seconds. Your website should be clean, simple, and easy to navigate. Users are not looking for fluff or crazy imagery, especially when it comes to eCommerce sites. People have a fixed idea on what it should look like, so make it familiar and easy to use.
Keep your logos and website layout simple, but not boring. Boring can be just as bad as complex or busy. Remember, if users don’t like the aspect of your design, the less likely they will be to contact you or explore beyond your homepage.
Not Providing Enough Information
Your business website should appear relevant and trustworthy with not only contact information prominently displayed, but also enough business information that tells users your story and what makes you and your business different.
Holding back on useful information to visitors not only hurts your credibility, but may be detrimental to your business as well.
Not Mobile-Friendly
Most users like to consume content and get information on their mobile devices. Don’t lose out to a competitor because you don't have a mobile optimized site.
A mobile optimized site is built for efficiency. The images and media are optimized for quick loading and the content is succinct for maximum effectiveness to give readers a mobile-friendly experience.
Bad Images and Distractions
The use of images should enhance your business, not hurt it. Make sure you’re using high-resolution images on your site. Stay clear of low-res or pixelated images that can deter users from your product or services.
Be very careful with use of advertisements and/or pop-ups as they may be obnoxious to users as well. Yes, sometimes they share useful information about your business, but too many of them can annoy visitors and keep them away for good.
A lot of these mistakes seem like common sense, but it’s amazing to see how often they are made or overlooked. With this in mind, if you’ve realized that your website might be in need of some zhushing, don’t despair!
At DS&P we know how important websites are to prove the potential of your business and we’ll work hard to make sure that not only is your website strikingly eye-catching, but complements your brand personality and company values. Contact us today!
