5 website design mistakes to avoid

There are a number of mistakes that can be made in website design that can be easily avoided once you know what to look for. The choices you make and elements you decide on can very quickly make your business website difficult to navigate, connect with and worst of all, trust.

If you want to keep your clients around, then you are going to want to avoid these five website design mistakes:

• Building before designing.
• No visual hierarchy.
• Too much clutter.
• Neglecting accessibility.
• Leaving mobile behind.

Building before designing.

We can sometimes be so quick to dive right into building the website before any proper groundwork has been made. While we will finally get to use a computer, the design process starts with paper and pen. Or a Word document if you’d prefer.

Before we go anywhere near the website, we need to start writing down the objectives you want to achieve with your website. With those in mind, you will then want to make a wireframe of your website to test the layout and element placing. This is the perfect time to ensure that your design is meeting those objectives. It will also allow you to spot any redundancies in your design that will just create clutter if they stayed around.

No visual hierarchy.

A very common website design mistake that we see on new websites is the lack of visual hierarchy. This is the orderly arrangement of elements based on their importance to your website. Without this, people won’t be guided properly around your website and ultimately to your call to action (CTA). This in turn means fewer conversions.

To avoid this mistake, think about why people will be coming to your website and get started with UX research. The end result will have your website’s elements flow in the way you want your clients to see and ultimately convert to.

Too much clutter.

By this point, you are already on track to avoid this website design mistake. Because current website design software has so much to offer, you can very quickly gain unwanted clutter.

Your website has a purpose and anything that does not support that purpose is clutter. Pop-ups are distracting and unnecessary videos will take your clients away from converting. Don’t let yourself be distracted by these design features. Stick to your plans and only add elements that support your goals.

Neglecting accessibility.

Many companies have already recognised that making their website accessible to people with a broad range of impairments is important. It’s not something that is as easy to add afterwards as it is when you are designing the website.

The more people your website can reach, the more it can convert. Making your website accessible to everyone will also make everyone happy. By adding accessibility features to your website from the very beginning, you will save on time and money.

Some simple points to get you started are to actively use alt tags to images, include audio descriptions and use an easy to read serif font.

Leaving mobile behind.

Despite all the data pointing toward mobile-first design, we still find many websites that fail to make their website mobile-friendly. Truth is, most people visiting your website will be doing so on their mobile devices. So, don’t make this website design mistake and start with mobile.

Many designers will actually design for mobile before they make the desktop website. This allows your website to give the best experience to the majority of your clients while still offering a fantastic desktop experience.

If you want to start making your designs more mobile-friendly, read our article: 5 tips for a more mobile-friendly website.

Avoid these website design mistakes with Web2Web.

Your business website can be a vital part of your success and these mistakes can be a huge hindrance. This is why so many brands go to website design and developers like us to make sure their website is perfect. With Web2Web, you get a dedicated team that knows exactly how to make your goals supported by your website.

If you are looking to make a new website or update your current one, don’t hesitate. Contact us today and find out how we can make your company convert online like never before.