The Most Common Mistakes in Web Design Small Businesses Make
A poor website can cause businesses to lose clients, which is money. This happens with alarming regularity. Small business owners often design their own website to save money or have more control. They may not understand the principles of good web design, resulting in a less-than-ideal website.
Web Design is an art form. Like art, web design aims to create an experience for its audience. Web Design is a combination of form and functionality that makes websites enjoyable, navigable and interesting. There are some “rules”, both spoken and unspoken, that web designers should follow. People often don’t adhere to these rules and this is why websites such as this are created.
These are the most common mistakes that small business owners make when it comes to web design.
1. There’s Too Much Going on
Immediately include pertinent information about your business on your website. Visitors will leave your website if they can’t grasp the purpose of your site within a couple seconds. This is important to remember, but it can lead small business owners into cramming too much information above the fold. A cluttered website is also not a good idea. It will take longer to load a website with a lot of text, images, or other elements. This can confuse visitors. Avoid designs that are too busy.
2. There is Too Little Going on
On the other side of the spectrum are websites with almost nothing on them. When done right, minimalism is in style. Some small business sites are too cryptic, and they leave a lot to the imagination. This is another mistake. Visitors want to know what you do and who you are. If you rely too heavily on simple images without a clear direction, your visitors will be left guessing.
3. It’s Too Confusing
The “confused brand website” is a site that falls somewhere in between the extremes of too much and too little. A confused website is a site that features different typefaces and images, as well as color palettes and themes. It can happen for a variety of reasons. This can happen if you do not have a clear idea of the image that your brand wants to project. This can happen when you want to use all the design templates because you love them. This can happen if you try to express too many ideas and treat your website as a collection of individual elements rather than a whole. Choose one theme, logo and typeface when designing your website. Stick with it throughout the site.
4. The CTA is a Terrible CTA
It is your gateway to success. Your CTA (Call To Action) commands your visitors to click here! Get a coupon! Find out more about this product. It’s important to make sure that the CTA tells your visitors exactly what they should do. Visitors should have enough information to know what to expect from taking action, and what information to provide. There’s also a fine balance between being helpful and annoying. Your CTA should be concise and clearly state what the customer needs to do. Limit the amount of form filling and allow them to spend a few moments on your site before the CTA appears.
5. The content and whitespace are not used well.
Content is an important part of any website or marketing campaign. Content tells the reader about your company and what you have to offer. You should pay attention to fonts and the layout of the content on the page.
The font you choose will reflect your brand in addition to what you actually write. So, make sure it is readable and appealing. Use white space to draw the eye around your website and make large blocks of text easier to read. Many people make the mistake of adding too much text to their website. Use visual elements where possible to illustrate concepts and break up text where you can. If you don’t update your content, customers may think that you have closed down.
6. Pictures that are ugly or irrelevant
Web design also includes photos and graphics. Images are a great way to convey complex ideas quickly, without the need to read text. Many businesses use low-quality or irrelevant images. Images of poor quality can ruin your website, and make visitors leave. Images that are irrelevant will confuse readers and make them wonder what your message is.
7. Hidden Navigation
Navigational issues will quickly kill the popularity of your website. In an age when everything is instantaneous, people will abandon your website if it takes too long. One common mistake is to make your navigation menu difficult to find. You’ve probably been on a website where you couldn’t locate the menu, or even the search bar. It’s infuriating. It’s frustrating.
8. Missing Your Target
You know how important it can be to understand your audience as a small-business owner. You probably have spent hours creating profiles of your customers and trying to figure out how you can attract their attention. It is also important in web design. Your site’s “look” and “feel” will attract certain types of visitors. Some websites are very professional, others are hip and trendy, and some are just fun. A website can try to appeal to too many different audiences. You’ll have a confusing website if you try to appeal to too many different types of clients. You should identify and profile your audience, and then cater to it.
9. Insufficient Contact Information
A lack of contact details is also a common mistake. It is important to have your contact information available as soon as visitors decide whether or not they want to use your service. You must provide them with the contact information as soon as they decide that you are the right company for their needs. Visitors who have to hunt through your website for contact information will get frustrated and likely leave. You should have a “Contact Us” link at the top of each page or on every page.
Keep your target audience in mind at every stage of the design process, from planning to analysis after launch. You’ll be able to create a website that is beautiful and speaks volumes about your company if you are able to reconcile these two factors. If you build it (digitally), they will come.