Because a website can be such a substantial investment, it’s tricky trying to get the balance right between feeling like you’ve got your money’s worth and the website still doing the job it was designed to do: that is, increasing your business. That’s why it’s pretty easy to make one of these common web design mistakes:
Not conducting the research. If you know you’re going to be investing a decent amount of money in your site, it’s logical enough that you’ll want to see your investment bear fruit as soon as possible. However, you should always research your market before making a design, to ensure it meets the needs of your customers. There’s no point sticking social media and YouTube integration everywhere if your demographic is the over 80s.
The site is too busy. When Flash programming first reared its head, everyone was taken with the cool visuals that a website could suddenly display. Now, though, times have changed: in the SEO world, flash is a virtual irrelevance. Your design needs to look great, yes, but it needs to be marketable to the world of tablets and smartphones: many of which don’t even read flash. If someone’s coming to your website because they want to know the fine print of your insurance policies, then a bunch of distracting visual effects will just send them scurrying elsewhere.
Not including a call to action. Your website is designed to increase the amount of customers that use your service. If you’re a marketing firm, then you want people to call you for a consultation. If you’re running an e-commerce site, then you want people to buy your goods. That means that your call to action should be clear: if you want phone calls, then your number should be bright and clear on the front page. If you want sales, make that ‘buy now’ button big. Your site should work for you, not against you.
Overdoing social when too small. Whilst there is a lot of buzz around about social media at the moment, highlighting your Facebook and Twitter accounts can actually do you damage if they aren’t well built up. If you’ve only got five followers and haven’t tweeted in two months, then potential customers might think you’re only small time: not the impression you want to make!
This article was written in association with Eadetech, an Essex web design firm from the UK.
