Once you create a website, you would like it to attract targeted traffic and convert that traffic. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen because of common mistakes people make. To ensure this doesn’t occur, here are the top 10 common web design mistakes you should avoid.
1) Bad and broken links
Placing hyperlinks that are unresponsive when clicked, or leads one to a “404” error page can be a total distress to any surfer. Make sure to check your site on a weekly basis just to confirm that all links are functional as promised. Incorporate the “Contact the Webmaster” link into your website’s footer so visitors can immediately notify you if they encounter a link that’s broken, or any other mistake for that matter, and rectify them without delays.
2) Missing to include your mailing address or phone number
Since you are selling a product or service, you have to provide surfers with different ways they can reach you. The smartest way around this is to create a “Contact US” link that opens to the complete information – phone, email, and mailing address.
Use the same link on every single one of the pages on your website. It doesn’t matter if anyone calls, having this information increases the credibility of your site, and the visitors will presume you are transparent, which often comforts them.
3) Do not deactivate or break the back button
Some site owners discovered how they could break the website’s return button so that when a visitor presses it, a number of unanticipated things occur: the browser does not respond since the return button in inactive, they get redirected to an unwanted page or a flash page appears and overtakes the screen. We recommend that you never do it, otherwise, you’ll get users annoyed and they won’t return to your site.
4) Stale content
Always ensure to keep your site fresh and up-to-date for excellent results. Losing credibility as a result of having stale content is too big a price to pay. The content should be informative, accurate, easy to read through and error free. This way, viewers will stay on your page longer, and will always come back for more.
5) Not easy to navigate pages
The internet promises speed. If a person can’t establish where to click to go to the next page fast enough, without going round circles, they’ll most likely jump to your competitors’ site. It’s not just annoying to have to go steps back to be able to access other areas of a site, besides; it’s also time-consuming.
You should have a navigation bar on each page to guide users to other areas. This bar can be placed along the left side of the page or the top for easy visibility. Furthermore, you should include an easy to locate sitemap on the footer or in the main navigation bar to offer viewers with an at-a-glance view of each page on your website.
6) Too many colors and font styles
When you make a website, pages are critical. Typically, pages should present a consistent, unified look; inexperienced web developers, mesmerized by how many fonts and colors are at their fingertips end up turning their sites into a mess. Two or three colors and fonts per page, maximum, can do.
The primary goal is to reaffirm users of your stability and solidity, not prove to them that you’re very artistic. Besides, ensure that your colors and font are appealing on any device, from phones to iPads, desktops, and tablets.
7) Orphan Page
A rule of thumb; all pages in your website requires an easily seen link that goes back to the home page; this ensures that there is no dead end. It’s ideal to put a link on every page that goes back to “Home.” The best place to attach the link is your sites’ logo.
8) Ignoring to embed your social sites
Most businesses make their presence known on the social sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or even Instagram. Social media is going nowhere; as a matter of fact, several businesses are gaining from having their presence in it. Failing to link these networks to your site is a big no-no. Visitors should be free to check one after the other effortlessly.
Social media can be a stupendous tool for marketing your business, but only if you make it a breeze for visitors to navigate from one to the other. If well executed, this can help drive more traffic to your site. Therefore, make a website with the best social sharing plugins.
9) Slow load times
Slow server times cannot be excused with professional sites – it makes your visitors bounce away. According to a recent study conducted by Akamai Technologies, online shoppers wait an average of four seconds for a page to open, after which they click away. Cut down on graphics, special add-ons, and too large images to ensure a faster loading time.
10) Opening new windows
Although it was an in-thing a while back, it’s not anymore. In fact, it distresses users because it slows down the computer response, ties up system resources and complicates user experience.