A well-designed website is one of the most powerful tools that you can use to improve your business' online presence and generate more leads. It improves your brands credibility and solidifies your brand on the internet. That being said, a lot of websites fall to a few common design mistakes that limit their functionality and effectiveness. Avoiding these common design mistakes is essential to ensuring that you can benefit the most from your website, that's why we have listed the 10 most common website design mistakes you should stay clear of.

1. Cluttered Layouts and Poor Organisation

Your websites visitors need to be able to navigate your site effortlessly. Using a cluttered layout with too many different sections in a single page can overwhelm users and can make it difficult to find important information. Keeping your pages clear by good usage of whitespace and structuring your content logically is key to ensuring that users can easily access the content and the answers that they are looking for. There are a few exceptions where having lots of information on one page is acceptable - like one page websites - but these must be done with sufficient planning and have to be executed very well.

2. Lack of Mobile Optimisation

With over 50% of all website traffic coming from mobile devices, a site that isn’t mobile friendly is guaranteed to lose you visitors and potentially customers. Your website needs to be fully responsive, ensuring that it looks great and functions smoothly on all screen sizes. Google also prioritises mobile friendly sites in search rankings, so failing to optimise for mobile devices can harm your SEO efforts.

Creating unique, user-friendly mobile websites that represent your brand's personality can be challenging, especially when it feels like all mobile designs look alike. Luckily you can read our blog on 'The Key to Effective Mobile Website Design: 5 Must Know Tips' to find out how you can have a mobile responsive website.

3. Slow Loading Speeds

A slow-loading website is one of the quickest ways to lose visitors on your website. Studies show that users expect a site to load within three seconds; anything longer, and they’ll likely leave. Large image files, unoptimised code, and too many plugins can drag down site speed. Using compression tools to optimise images, leveraging browser caching and good plugin etiquette is essential to keeping your site running efficiently. We recommend using either TinyPNG or using Canva and setting a maximum file size to optimise your images. Also consider using WEBP images over PNG or JPEG. You can convert images to WEBP here.

4. Poor Readability and Font Choices

Your website's text needs to be easy to read. Avoiding overly decorative fonts or low-contrast colour schemes that strain the eyes is essential, you can check if your background and text colour pass contrast checks here. If you are unsure on what font to use, using legible typefaces like a sans-serif will be your best bet for ensuring that you have the upmost legibility. Also, effective use of headings and short paragraphs will improve the readability of your content.

5. Weak Call-to-Action (CTAs)

A strong CTA guides your website's visitors towards taking the action your desire - whether that’s signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or contacting your business. Weak or confusing CTAs result in lost conversions meaning less business for you. The user needs to know exactly what they will get from using your CTA, also ensuring your CTA buttons stand out visually, will largely increase the chances of the CTA working.

6. Ignoring SEO Best Practices

A visually appealing website is useless if no one can find it! SEO is crucial for driving organic traffic to your page. You should avoid common mistakes like missing meta descriptions for your pages, improper usage of header tags, and keyword stuffing. You should also optimise images with alt texts for your images and create genuinely valuable content that aligns with the search intent. Also don't forget to use a target keyword and include it in your meta description and pages [h1] heading.

7. Ineffective Navigation Structure

Users should never have to struggle to find what they need. A poorly structured navigation menu leads to frustration and high bounce rates. Keep menus simple, use intuitive labels, and ensure your most important pages are easily accessible. If your website has a lot of content, consider using a search function to improve usability. You want to avoid pages being buried under multiple dropdowns or menu labels unless they are unimportant subpages.

8. Using Too Many Pop-Ups

We generally say to avoid using pop-ups, but we understand that some people love them. Too many pop-ups can annoy your websites visitors and result in them leaving your site. Google also penalises websites that use intrusive pop-ups on mobile devices, which can harm your rankings. If you must use pop-ups, ensure they are easy to close and provide genuine value to the user.

9. Poor Image and Media Usage

Using high quality images which are relevant to your sites content enhances the visual appeal of your website and increases the usability of the page. You should avoid using any low resolution or irrelevant images because they can make your website look unprofessional and even lower your credibility. With that being said, you should also avoid using stock photos and stick to images which show that you truly do what you do.

10. Lack of Consistent Branding

A website should reinforce your brand’s identity through consistent use of colours, fonts, and messaging. If you have mismatched design elements, then your site could feel disjointed. Sticking to a cohesive colour palette, maintaining uniform typography, and aligning your website’s voice with your overall brand identity is the key to a complete website.

Conclusion

Your website is often the first impression potential customers have of your business, so it’s crucial to get it right. By avoiding these common mistakes, you can create a seamless, visually appealing, and high-performing website that engages visitors and drives conversions. Regularly auditing your site’s performance, staying updated on best practices, and always prioritising the users experience is essential to getting the most out of your website.

If you need assistance in designing or optimising your website, you can contact us today to discuss what you can improve in your own website. A well-crafted website isn’t just about looking good - it’s about delivering results. You can learn about our Site Consultation services here!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is mobile optimisation important for website design?

Mobile optimisation is crucial because over 50% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. If your site isn't mobile friendly, then you could be missing up to half of your potential customer base!

How can I improve my website’s loading speed?

To enhance your websites loading speed you can: optimise image sizes, use caching techniques, reduce unnecessary plugins, and minify CSS and JavaScript files.

What makes a strong call-to-action (CTA)?

A strong CTA should be a clear, action-oriented, and visually distinct section on your page. You should use compelling language and place the CTA where users naturally engage, such as near product descriptions or at the end of blog posts.