Whether you’re a small business owner who’s designed their own website from scratch, or you’re a web designer by trade, you’ll understand how much work goes into starting a website and how many things you need to think about from content to imagery.
However, we’re human and humans make mistakes. It’s only natural there are going to be some features, elements, or content that has a problem with it, and at first glance, this might not be too significant.
On the other hand, there could be plenty of mistakes which are costing you a lot of money.
Today, we’re going to explore the eight most common website mistakes you need to be mindful of and make sure you avoid ensuring you’re getting the best results and not losing out on any potential return.
1. Overloading Your Website with Content
It’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to get across your message to your audience in the best possible way. Which means you end up overloading your website with content and it all becomes very overwhelming.
This can get to the point where it’s actually damaging to your business.
Statistics show that the average web user has an attention span of about 3-5 seconds (less than a goldfish). This means you want to filter out your content and pick the best, and then highlight this, so it’s clear and highlighted.
This way, you’ll be grabbing their attention and getting the best, most profitable, results.
Read also: How Much Does It Cost to Build a Website
2. Not Optimizing White Space
‘White Space’ refers to the blank space on your website that’s not filled up with text, images, or any other form of media.
Go on any business website, and you’ll see that having your content laid out in a clean and professional way is the best way to not overwhelm your readers and to make everything understandable and easy to navigate.
Remember, your website is not for you, but rather to give your potential customers the best experience you possibly can, so make sure this is what you’re aiming for.
3. Not Remembering to Use Professional Content Formatting
It’s vital you make sure you’re using the tried-and-tested content formatting options and techniques to ensure you’re getting the best results.
On a basic level, this means creating big, bold, and attention-grabbing headlines that stand out from the rest of your content and suck your audience members in.
You then need to divide your content up using subheadings, much like this content you’re reading right now. Make sure you’re getting the best results and making your content and website effortless to read and navigate.
Try to eliminate big blocks of text by formatting your content up into short and easy to read paragraphs. And, once again, aim to give your readers the best and easiest experience you possibly can.
4. Not Planning Your User Journey
Every website should have a user journey planned out and defined so clearly that you know it like the back of your hand.
This means a customer comes to your website and you know exactly how they go from the page to the checkout page, or whatever goal your website has to achieve.
It’s important to define this journey and every step along the way because you’ll be able to highlight pinch points that need extra attention, as well as identifying any problems in your journey that can then be improved.
Failure to plan and highlight your journey means you won’t be able to figure out these potential problems and therefore you won’t be able to correct them, ultimately causing you to miss out on any potential problems.
5. Not Using Enough Imagery
It’s common knowledge that a picture speaks a thousand words, and this especially applies to your website.
It’s very easy to overload your web pages with text. But you need to make sure you’re using images as effectively as possible to grab your reader’s attention and send a message as effectively as possible.
Make sure you’re using high-quality and relevant images, as well as avoiding substandard stock images that can put people off.
Ideally, you’ll want to create your own images that completely suit your business and brand.
6. Forgetting to Include Calls to Action
Calls to action are so important when it comes to designing and building a website.
It clearly defines where your customers should be going and what they should be doing. And if you don’t include them, this could be a huge costly mistake because they will simply have what they came for from your content and then will leave because they have nothing else to do.
Make sure you include calls to action in key locations around your website to get the best conversion rates.
7. Not Matching Your Branding
Every business has a brand, and so we’re all on the same page, this refers to the image your business has in the eyes of your customers.
This is why it’s so important to make sure your website is in the same style and brand as your business is.
When customers go onto your website, you want them to know they’re on your website and there’s no confusion as to where they are or what business they’re interacting with.
This branding needs to be evident throughout your business, including your website, your store, and your social media pages.
Read also: How to Brand Your Business on a Budget
8. Not Having a Mobile-Friendly Website
More commonly referred to as a ‘responsive website,’ statistics show that over 70% of all internet traffic is now processed through mobile devices. Which means there’s a more than 70% chance that your audience is coming to your website on their mobile devices.
This, of course, means your website needs to be optimized fully for mobile devices to give your viewers and users the best experience.
What’s more, Google is now ranking websites based on how friendly they are for mobile devices before most other criteria. So you need a mobile-friendly device to make sure you’re ranking highly in terms of SEO.
If you’ve ever been on a website from your mobile device and you’ve been able to navigate it properly, can’t read the content easily, or have limited functionality, you’ll already be aware of how quickly you quick off and take your business elsewhere, so make sure this isn’t happening to you.
About The Author
Martha Jameson is a website designer and development blogger at PhDKingdom. Before she chose writing as her calling, she was a graphic designer and coder. Martha’s main goals are to share her experience, motivation, and knowledge with her readers.
Stock Photo from Floral Deco @ Shutterstock
