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Published By OLIVER ANDREWS
Guest Post by Sarah Munn

Common Web Design Mistakes You Need to Avoid

If you establish your online presence, the last thing you want to do is make web design mistakes. Your website should be designed to establish credibility, foster strong relationships, and generate ongoing sales.

A We Are Social report revealed something very interesting: internet users are growing at a dramatic rate—11 new users per second. That’s a total of one million new users each day! Your audience is evidently online. However, are you making web design mistakes that hinder them from becoming loyal customers?

Essentially, effective websites should be able to provide the following:

● A steady flow of targeted leads

● Ongoing sales

● Optimal user-friendly experience

When redesigning or building a new website from scratch, you have to do more than ensure you have a visually appealing site or responsive web design. When it comes to web design, knowing the web design mistakes to avoid is just as important as knowing the web design elements to incorporate.

What we will cover in this article

Web Design Mistakes to Avoid

  • Weak Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Unclear Brand Messaging
  • Slow Load Time
  • Poor Mobile Site Experience
  • Difficult to Find Contact Information

1. Weak Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Many years prior, search engine optimization was just a mix of thin content, stuffed keywords, and backlinks that are placed haphazardly. However, sites with similar features eventually get penalized and lose their authority.

Over the years, search engine algorithms have become a lot smarter and are taking more factors into account. To create a robust SEO strategy, keep the following basics in mind:

Publish quality content regularly

If you have a stale website, you will not be able to build a strong relationship with repeat or prospective customers. That said, you need to provide fresh, unique, and informative content. Nowadays, providing quality content consistently is considered a valuable SEO practice.

The old adage still rings true: content is king. With that in mind, consider adding a blog to your site. A blog will also give you a place where you can showcase your expertise. Also, pick topics that engage readers and provide useful information. Blog posts should also be of high quality with at least 1,000 words (or more).

Focus on long-tail keywords

Nowadays, long-tail keywords are used more in searches. Longer keyword phrases will not only make ranking easy, it is likely to bring in more substantial and relevant leads. For instance, rather than just focusing on the keyword “kitchen renovation,” consider using “how much will a kitchen renovation cost?” 

If you want to identify long-tail keywords, do an initial search for head terms (shorter keyword phrases) on Google. You can find the long-tail keywords at the bottom of the page.

Common Web Design Mistakes You Need to Avoid
Common Web Design Mistakes You Need to Avoid

Encourage social engagement

One effective way brands can build strong relationships with customers is through social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. A presence on social media sites can also help strengthen customer service recognition and brand identity. 

Combining blog posting and social sharing is considered an excellent recipe for higher rankings.

2. Unclear Brand Messaging

There’s no denying a clear brand messaging is considered a massive success factor by most big-name brands. If you can provide clear brand messaging, you are a step ahead of other brands that are wondering why people are not “getting” their brand or purchasing from them.

The key to clear brand messaging is storytelling. This means you need to create communication that your target audience finds compelling, and that connects with them on an emotional level. For your brand messaging to stand out, it should come from the beliefs and values your brand stands for.

When creating your brand messaging, it is also considered ideal to focus on how your products or services can solve people’s pain points. It’s one message that will not only build trust but will also lead to more sales.

3. Slow Load Time

Everyone wants quick access to the information they are looking for. If your website loads slowly, you are sure to lose many of your visitors. According to Google, at least 53% of site visitors leave a site that takes more than three seconds to load.

A slow page load time will also have a significant impact on your search engine rankings. At times, this web design mistake can be a technical issue. Therefore, it is ideal to get your developer involved. 

Web developers can also provide practical ways to help improve your website’s current load time. If you are creating a new website, ensure that a lightning-fast website is on top of your priority list. 

4. Poor Mobile Site Experience

Many consumers nowadays are using their smartphone browsers at a higher rate compared to desktops. That said, providing a mobile-friendly experience should rank high on your list.

The following statistics below highlight the importance of providing a mobile-friendly experience.

  • At least 40% of users visited a competitor’s website after a poor mobile experience.
  • At least 67% of users say they are more likely to purchase products from mobile-friendly sites.
  • At least 57% revealed they would not recommend a poorly designed mobile site to others.

As a general rule of thumb, aim to provide a good and consistent experience across various devices—tablet, desktop, and especially mobile. With more than 50 percent of mobile traffic, any business cannot afford not to have a mobile presence.

5. Difficult to Find Contact Information

This is one mistake many businesses often commit. Many website owners are guilty of not having a dedicated contact page or displaying their contact numbers prominently in their websites’ headers or footers.

Ideally, you should place a clear call-to-action in the header together with your business contact number. If you don’t want to come across as too salesy, placing your call number would suffice.

Make it easy for your customers to do business with you by posting your personal information where they can easily see it. The lesser clicks needed to find your contact number, the more you can maximize the opportunity for conversions!

Over to You

If you want to foster credibility, establish strong connections, and bring in more sales, avoiding the most common web design mistakes should be a priority for you. As long as you have all the bases covered, getting a step ahead of the pack should be a breeze for you.

About the Author

Sarah Munn is the Outreach Manager of Phoenix Web Design, a web design company based in Phoenix, Arizona that specializes in creating bespoke and responsive websites that will surely grab people’s attention. When not writing content, she spends time with her grandparents and also giving back to the community.

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