Are you happy with how your business website looks? If you are, that’s great—but it may not help you as much as you think.
See, the primary purpose of a website isn’t to look good, but to convert users. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Studies show that only 22 percent of businesses are happy with their conversion rates.
What’s the solution? Well, one big thing you can do is rework your website design to convert users more effectively. For starters, you’ll want to avoid these nine business website design mistakes.
1. No Brand Identity
Before doing anything with your website design, you need to know what you want it to look like. To do that, you need a brand identity.
Why is this important? Well, one purpose of website design is to reflect your brand and be in sync with your other marketing materials, like social media. Without a brand in mind, your site will likely look quite generic.
Keep in mind that a brand is more than a logo. It also includes specific fonts, icons, colors, illustrations, and photography styles. Once you have all these in place, designing business websites becomes much easier.
2. Multiple Call-to-Actions
Are you familiar with the saying, “Too many cooks spoil the broth?” The same applies to a website containing too many call-to-actions (CTAs).
Sure, it’s easy to see how multiple buttons with different CTAs can be beneficial. The idea is to allow users to click the CTA that meets their needs. In reality, though, this practice will only confuse your visitors.
Creating more options for the user isn’t always the right approach. The more your visitors have to think, the less likely they will take action. That’s why the best website pages only have a single, clear CTA.
3. Lack of Reviews
Would you spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a product that may not be good? If you said no, you’re in the same boat as most of us.
Ideally, your business would be big enough that you could rely on good word-of-mouth to sell your products. If that’s not the case, you can make do by putting some customer reviews and testimonials on your website.
It’s no surprise that nine out of ten customers read reviews before buying something. Reviews are the main proof that your product is trustworthy. By including reviews on your site, you’re harnessing the wisdom of the crowd.
4. Unresponsive UI
Having a unique website design is always a good goal to have. That said, a cool-looking website won’t be worth much if its UI is unresponsive.
The solution: prioritize clarity and functionality. Use strategic links, easy-to-use forms, and attention-grabbing buttons. Imagine anything your users would want to do on your site, then make it easier for them.
You should also focus on having a mobile-friendly website. These days, most web traffic comes from mobile, and pages load differently there. Consider using plugins to optimize your website for mobile browsers.
5. Complicated Contact Form
This mistake has a lot in common with the one involving multiple CTAs. The longer your contact form is, the more you’ll annoy your customers.
An ideal contact form will only ask for three things: name, email, and message. Anything beyond that, and you risk alienating your users. And in this age of instant gratification, that happens sooner than you may think.
Do you have important follow-up questions? Have your users answer them later, when they’re already in your system. Your main order of business is to get that first “yes” before moving on with them.
6. Poor Headlines
Speaking of grabbing the user’s attention, you need to do it within 20 seconds. If you fail, you may not get another chance.
If you’re struggling in this regard, check your headlines. An eye-catching headline will pique the visitor’s attention right away. That makes it arguably the most important part of your content strategy.
Beyond making headlines bigger, do your best to make them easier to read. Even a small change in wording can yield big results. Consider outsourcing this job to a copywriter familiar with your industry.
7. Generic 404 Pages
In a perfect world, your website would never have to deal with 404 pages. Still, they do show up, often during regular website maintenance.
Now, the fact that 404 pages exist doesn’t mean they have to be annoying. For instance, why not program them to align with the aesthetic of your site? That way, your users will be more likely to wait for the error to go away.
Another thing you can do with 404 pages is to make them more helpful. Include relevant resources to make visitors want to continue exploring your site. These can include a FAQ, a search bar, or links to other products.
8. Images Without Alt Attributes
One of the most common business website SEO mistakes is not optimizing images for HTML. That includes not giving them alt attributes.
Not sure what alt attributes are? In essence, that’s the text you can add to your images to make them stand out in search results. Many users find websites via image search, so alt attributes are well worth the effort.
There are two main rules for alt attributes. First, include all the main keywords you’re trying to rank for in the image description. Second, keep the length to about 150 characters in total and never go over it.
9. No White Space
White space is the “empty” space around your content and page elements. The main purpose of white space is to make certain elements pop.
In website design, white space is essential for above-the-fold content. This is what every user sees when they open your site. By drawing their attention with one or two elements and white space, you’ll entice them to explore.
Also, when users are at your site, they’ll scan the surroundings. Any spacing differences will create a subconscious dissonance. To avoid that, use a standard amount of white space between the sections and page elements.
Avoid These Business Website Design Mistakes
Business website design mistakes are among those things that can make or break a website. That said, being aware of these mistakes makes them easier to avoid—which is where this article comes in!
Need some help with creating the perfect business website? We can help you do so in style and at an affordable cost! Contact us here to learn more about what our web design service can offer you.