8 Common Website Design Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

There are more than a billion websites out there, and more come online every day. It’s becoming harder for your business to stand out, which is why you want to invest in a unique design.

Whether you’re doing it yourself or hiring someone else, you’ll want to make sure your unique design is also a good one. These 8 website design mistakes are common, but avoiding them is easier than you might think.

1. Forgetting about Mobile-Friendly Design

Google is using mobile-first indexing and will soon make it the default. The search engine giant noted that more people are accessing websites via their phones. It makes more sense to rank sites based on the mobile experience they provide.

A mobile-friendly website is an absolute must for any business. Not only does it keep Google happy, it delivers a better experience for your visitors.

How can you achieve mobile-friendly design? Think about webpages that respond to different screen sizes, optimized images, and navigation that works with a tap of the screen.

2. Poor Navigation

Speaking of navigation, this is another common website design mistake to watch out for. Search engines will use navigation as a ranking factor. More importantly, your visitors judge your site based on how easy it is to get around.

If your visitors can’t figure out where to click, they’re not going to stick around very long. Worse, they might get frustrated. This is especially true if they can’t find the information they’re looking for.

How can you avoid this design mistake? Make sure to build navigation into your design. Menus and buttons should be very obvious.

Design can also work to draw the eye to certain features. This, in turn, can help you highlight where someone should be clicking. Clear labeling on each part of your website also helps.

You can also include a sitemap and other features to show how pages connect to each other.

3. Other SEO Website Design Mistakes

Poor navigation and not having a mobile-friendly site aren't the only examples of SEO mistakes. Unfortunately, SEO mistakes can cost you rankings on Google, as well as visitors.

Some other common SEO mistakes include:

Using template designs that don’t allow you to customize metadata and titles

Slow load times

Bloated website code

Images and videos that aren’t optimized

Bloated code can bog down your load times. It can also lead to display problems across different devices. Images and videos that aren’t optimized are big and won’t load well on mobile devices.

Not having a blog or regularly posting new content are also SEO mistakes. The benefits of SEO can’t be understated. With SEO-friendly design, your visitors will have a better experience on your site.

4. A Lack of CTA

This next website design mistake is very common. A call to action tells visitors what they should next. Maybe you want them to get in touch with you or to shop now.

The CTA is important when you target an audience, because it helps to move them along the sales funnel. If you don’t offer a CTA, visitors may not know what to do next.

They might be ready to buy, but unless you invite them to “shop now” or “get in touch,” they might leave your page. It’s unclear to them how to proceed, so they decide to look somewhere else.

Not having a CTA is a problem for many websites. Some business owners do include a CTA, but it’s not clear. The design might hide the CTA from the user.

Be sure to include a clear CTA, and make sure your website design highlights it. Good design helps your users take the next step.

5. Cluttered Design

One of the reasons CTAs get lost is due to cluttered design. This is an immediate turn-off for most visitors, and it can compound issues with CTAs and navigation.

A cluttered site is usually unpleasant to look at. It may feel claustrophobic or overwhelming for the visitor. They may be confused about where to look or what to click.

The same is true if you have too many ads on a page, or if you include too many images or videos.

Instead, focus on whitespace and minimalism. Less is definitely more in the case of website design.

Website design gives all elements of your page “breathing room.” It makes the page less overwhelming and confusing. There’s not as much competition for the user’s attention.

In turn, the page feels much more welcoming to your visitors. They’ll spend a little more time exploring your attractively designed site.

6. Legibility Wasn’t on Your Mind

When you’re designing different pages for different devices, always keep legibility in mind. If people can’t read the text on an image, they won’t. If they can’t read the typeface you’ve used for your CTA buttons, they may not click the buttons.

You can avoid this issue by applying the principles of accessibility to your website. Typefaces should be easy to read for screen readers too. You might even want to consider a special font designed to aid those with dyslexia.

Size is also important, especially on mobile pages. Be sure to enable zoom, so your visitors can zero in on the text they want to read.

7. A Lack of Security

Security is another major concern for any website, especially if you plan to collect data. You should ensure any forms you use have encryption. Your entire site should use secure socket layer, or SSL.

You may need to build security into other parts of your site, such as payment collection systems. You should never sacrifice security for design.

8. Hidden Information

The final website design mistake that you should watch out for is “hiding” information. Have you buried your contact information so deep, it’s almost impossible for customers to find?

Instead, it should be highlighted on every page. The same is true of almost all other important information. Add contact information, copyright information, and more to every page.

A Better Website is a Click Away

These common website design mistakes could drag your site down, but you can be on the lookout for them. Avoiding them will help you create a much better experience for your visitors.

If making a great website design seems daunting, don’t worry. The right team can help you create a stunning website that provides an outstanding experience. Get in touch, and get ready to bring your brand to life in a whole new way.