9 Common Web Design Mistakes & How to Fix Them

Web Design Mistakes – Websites have become the new means of communication, exploration and more. From online shopping, to bookings and so much more…visuals are highly important. We’ve become more and more understanding of certain situations which differentiates each and every individual, which means what can work for you, may not necessarily work for anyone else.

The Importance of Web Design 

The design of a website can have a significant impact on how people perceive and engage with that website. This is referred to as the user experience. A website that is poorly designed can drive users away, whereas a website that is built correctly has a greater chance of engaging users and encouraging them to stay longer on the website. We’ve delved a little deeper into what makes user experience vital, as well as how to best improve your user experience, click our blog to know about how to Design for Delight. 

When it comes to branding, a customer will most likely make their initial encounter with a brand on a company’s website. When it comes to a brand’s image and identity, having a website that is built properly can assist to bolster it, while having a website that is designed poorly can hurt it.

Websites need to be created with functionality and ease of use in mind from the beginning of the design process. Users will find it much simpler to navigate the site, locate the information they need, and carry out other actions, such as making purchases or filling out forms, if the design is of high quality.

A website that is well designed can help to enhance its search engine rankings, making it easier for users to locate the website when they are searching for content that is relevant to their needs. We’re offering you an SEO guide for anyone who doesn’t speak nerd. 

The increasing number of people using mobile devices makes it absolutely necessary for a website to be responsive and to be optimized for a variety of different types of devices. A website that has been thoughtfully built will deliver an experience that is consistent and user-friendly across all devices.

Web Design Mistakes 

Whether you’re thinking of using WordPress CMS or maybe even an Ecommerce site (we recommend WooCommerce), it is vital that your site steer clear from these visible mistakes since they will tend to hinder your growth, as well as possibly affect your overall ranking. 

Slow Load Time 

As the world has become more upbeat and impulsive, patience has drastically dimmed down, moreso in regards to websites. According to Google, the risk of a bounce increases by 32% when the amount of time it takes for a page to load grows from one second to three seconds. In addition, the risk of a bounce increases by a factor of ninety percent when the load duration goes from one second to five seconds.

So how do you tackle slow load time and fix this mistake? Well, choosing to invest in a web host provider is of the essence. Running a business and placing it online demands constant care and by purchasing a hosting plan, you really have your work cut out for you. 

Slow Load Time – Web Design Mistakes 

• Server configuration optimization: The web host can optimize the server configuration so that it runs efficiently and delivers content as rapidly as feasible.
• Content delivery network (CDN): A CDN can distribute content to servers in multiple geographic locations, thereby decreasing the distance data must traverse and enhancing page load times.
• Caching: Caching can reduce load times by storing frequently accessed data in memory or on disk, allowing for quicker retrieval.
• Compression: The web provider can compress text-based content such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, thereby reducing file sizes and accelerating page load times.
• If the website is hosted on a shared server, the web host can provide dedicated RAM, CPU, and storage to boost performance.
• Technical support: The web host can provide technical support to diagnose and fix any problems that may be causing sluggish page loads.

Unresponsive 

Adobe found that over 80% of smartphone users use their devices to search the internet, and that mobile devices account for over 50% of website visitors. This entails that it is of the utmost importance to design and develop your website whilst keeping mobile devices in check. This includes screen size, easily-clickable buttons, mobile-optimized form fields and texts that adjust to smaller screens. 

Unresponsive – Web Design Mistakes 

• Many web hosts provide responsive design templates that can be readily modified to meet the needs of a specific website. These templates are designed to automatically modify their layout and content to accommodate various screen sizes and devices.
• Some web providers provide website builders with responsive design functionality. Without the need for coding knowledge, these tools enable website owners to construct and modify their websites with responsive design in mind.
• A web host provider can offer technical support to help website proprietors troubleshoot and resolve any responsive design-related issues, such as layout problems or mobile device compatibility issues.
• Enabling caching and content delivery network (CDN) services: By enabling caching and CDN services, a web host provider can enhance website performance and ensure that content is delivered quickly and efficiently to users on any device.

Insecure Warnings 

Security measures have drastically changed from the year 2000 up until now. A major concern currently is the security and privacy of online users. If a site looks insecure, more likely than not, you are at a risk of losing potential customers. Search engines display an insecure warning to anyone intending to access your site if you do not take the necessary measures to secure your site. 

Insecure Warnings – Web Design Mistakes

• SSL certificates provide a secure connection by encrypting data sent between a website and its visitors. Many web hosts include SSL certificates in their hosting services or offer them as an additional service.
• Enabling HTTPS: By enabling HTTPS, a web host can ensure that data transmitted between a website and its visitors is encrypted, thereby establishing a secure connection. This can prevent web browsers from displaying insecure cautions.
• A web host provider may provide technical support to assist website proprietors in troubleshooting and resolving any issues related to insecure warnings, such as mixed content warnings or insecure links.
• A web host provider can update the server software on a regular basis to ensure that it is operating the most recent security patches and protocols.
• A web host provider can protect against cyber attacks and malware infections by implementing firewalls and other security measures.

Texts

DIY-ing your own website can truly do more harm than good. A text being too small, or using hard-to-read fonts for typography may create frustration or misunderstanding to users on your site. The recommended text size is often 16 or 18px for body and 24-28 px for the subheadings to prevent any mistakes relating to texts. 

A web host provider may not be able to directly assist with text that is too small, as this is predominantly a content-related design issue. However, a web host provider can indirectly assist website proprietors in addressing this issue in a few ways.

Too Small Texts – Web Design Mistakes

• Some web hosts provide website-building tools, including pre-designed templates with a variety of font sizes and designs. These templates can assist webmasters in selecting fonts that are readily readable and suitable for various screen sizes and devices.
• A web host provider can offer technical support to help website proprietors troubleshoot and resolve any font-related issues, such as coding or layout issues that may be causing text to display too small.
• Activating caching and content distribution network (CDN) services: By enabling caching and CDN services, a web host provider can improve website performance and ensure that content is delivered promptly and efficiently to users, potentially mitigating any issues related to small text caused by slow page loading speeds.
• A web host provider can offer guidance on responsive design, which can assist website owners in ensuring that their content, including font size, is optimized for various screen sizes and devices.

No Clear CTA 

With a clear and concise website copy, visitors or users won’t technically convert or translate well unless you give them clear directions of what to do. Without a clear call to action, your users will hit the back button in their browser. We’ve given a guide on how to write the perfect Call-to-Action.

No Clear CTA – Web Design Mistakes 

•  Some web hosts provide website-building tools that include pre-designed templates with plain and effective calls to action. These templates can assist website owners in selecting appropriate CTAs and ensuring that they are conspicuously displayed.
• A web host can provide advice on CTA design, including best practices for placement, wording, and design. This can assist website proprietors in creating effective CTAs that encourage site visitors to take action.
• A web host provider may offer technical support to help website owners troubleshoot and resolve any issues related to CTA implementation, such as coding or layout issues impeding the CTA from displaying properly.
• Enabling services that improve performance: By enabling caching and content delivery network (CDN) services, a web host can improve website performance and ensure that the call to action (CTA) is displayed promptly and efficiently to users.

Poor Navigation 

Your website menu is placed for the assistance of your users – to make it easy for them to navigate your website. The menu should include links that draw users back to the main pages. Ensure that menu items have clear names, as well as enough white space between each item. 

Poor Navigation- Web Design Mistakes

• Some web hosts provide website-building tools, which include pre-designed templates with user-friendly navigation interfaces. These templates can assist website owners in selecting appropriate navigation menus and ensuring that they are simple to use and comprehend.
• A web host can provide navigation design guidance, including best practices for menu structure, positioning, and labeling. This can help website owners construct navigation menus that enable visitors to quickly locate the desired information.
• A web host provider can offer technical support to help website proprietors troubleshoot and resolve navigation-related issues, such as broken links, missing pages, and incorrect menu items.
• Enabling services that improve performance: By enabling caching and content delivery network (CDN) services, a web host can improve website performance and ensure that users see navigation menus promptly and efficiently.
• Some web hosts offer website analytics tools that can assist website proprietors in analyzing how visitors interact with the navigation of their websites. This can aid website owners in identifying areas for development and making data-driven navigation optimization decisions.

Poorly timed Popups 

Pop-ups can come as extremely helpful and efficient, or extremely annoying and frustrating. Assisting in the growth of email lists, as well as sales, pop-ups have to be timed carefully, otherwise you will risk losing your audience. 

Poorly Time Popups – Web Design Mistakes

• Some web hosts provide website-building tools, such as pop-up generators and pre-designed templates. These templates can assist website proprietors in developing pop-ups that are well-timed and pertinent to the visitor’s actions on the website.
• A web host provider can provide guidance on pop-up design, including timing, positioning, and messaging best practices. This can assist website proprietors in developing pop-ups that are less intrusive and more likely to be well-received by site visitors.
• A web host can offer technical support to assist website proprietors in troubleshooting and resolving any issues related to pop-up functionality or design.
• Some web hosts provide website analytics tools that can assist website proprietors in analyzing how visitors interact with their pop-ups. This can help website owners identify areas for development and optimize their pop-up strategy using data-driven decisions.
• Some web hosts may provide options to control pop-ups, such as enabling visitors to disable pop-ups or limiting the number of times a pop-up is displayed to a single visitor.

Lack of Testimonials 

Think of it this way, more often than not, you’ve gone through with a purchase because your friend vouched for the product or service, or because an influencer did an unboxing/haul/tutorial. Similarly, testimonials offer users the chance at gaining trust. How did your product or service change their life? What positive did it add? 

Lack of Testimonials – Web Design Mistakes

• Some web providers offer website-building tools, such as widgets for displaying testimonials or pre-designed templates. These templates can help website proprietors add visually appealing testimonials to their websites.
• A web host provider can provide guidance on how to collect testimonials from customers and clients. This can include best practices for contacting customers, establishing a system for accumulating testimonials, and using customer feedback to enhance the overall user experience.
• A web host can offer technical support to assist website proprietors in troubleshooting and resolving any issues related to adding and displaying testimonials on their website.
• Some web hosts provide website analytics tools to assist website proprietors in analyzing how visitors interact with their website’s content, including testimonials. This can aid website owners in identifying for development and making data-driven content optimization decisions.
• Some web hosts may offer third-party integration with review platforms or social media platforms, allowing website owners to accumulate and display testimonials from a variety of sources.

Irrelevant Imagery 

Images and visuals go a long way towards telling your brand story and evoking the emotions you want out of users. However, website imagery needs to be relevant to the content. 

Irrelevant Imagery – Web Design Mistakes

• Some web hosts provide website-building resources, such as image libraries and pre-made layouts. These templates can assist website owners in selecting imagery that complements their website’s design and motif.
• A web host provider can provide guidance on how to select appropriate images for a website. This can include selecting images that correlate with the website’s content, brand, and messaging according to best practices.
• A web host can offer technical support to assist website proprietors in troubleshooting and resolving any issues related to adding and displaying images on their website.
• Some web hosts provide website analytics tools that can assist website proprietors in analyzing how visitors interact with their website’s content, including images. This can aid website owners in identifying areas for development and making data-driven decisions regarding image optimization.
• Some web hosts may offer third-party integration with stock image libraries or graphic design tools, enabling website proprietors to access a broader selection of relevant imagery.

How to Fix Common Web Design Mistakes 

Now that you have a more targeted understanding about the most common mistakes, ensure that you use the ways in which a web host provider can assist you and help you resolve the issue. Since websites are mainly all about experience, and that’s what will make them come back for more, be sure to invest in a web hosting provider that shares the same goals and beliefs as you. At GuruDesk, we highly believe in offering our clients the needs by taking care of the technical aspect, leaving room for business owners to fully focus on their needs without worry. 

Web Designers & Search Engines 

Web designers should be mindful of the impact of web design mistakes on search engines, mobile users, and overall user experience. By avoiding these mistakes, web designers can create websites that are optimized for all users and provide a seamless experience.