It takes approximately 0.05 seconds for people to decide whether they’re going to stay on your website or leave.
Human is to err, but no business can afford to make mistakes that will cost them their clients. When it comes to web design, perception is key and what your clients judge is the cover before opening the book.
Web design mistakes are too costly, and most businesses don’t realize how many potential customers they lose by having an under-performing website. Your company’s website is the first point of contact between you and potential clients.
Many people judge the credibility of a company by looking through their website. This makes it an essential part of the company’s brand.
Here are eight web design mistakes that might cost you prospective customers before you have a chance to convert them.
1. Too Much Going on
Many people access the internet from their smartphones or tablets. And a website that has too many things going on makes it hard for visitors to find what they’re looking for.
Having a simple website with clear goals makes it easy for visitors to find what they want. Marketing is the main task of any website. But it shouldn’t be the only one. Design your pages with the customer in mind.
Avoid jamming every product on a single page. Don’t overcrowd it using too many pictures or large blocks of text. Avoid flashing banners or advertisements.
When it comes to website design, user-friendly is the way to go.
2. No Clear Call to Action
Your website should ask your visitors to do something such as signing up for your company’s newsletter or buying a particular product or service. Many small businesses don’t have a clear call to action which makes it impossible for visitors to become clients.
Visitors to your website are just waiting for you to woe them! This means inviting them to contact you for more information, book a consultation, or attend an event. Once you’ve attracted visitors through your appealing website design, the call to action helps close the deal.
3. Out-Of-Date Content
Your visitors expect your website to have the latest information. If it doesn’t, they’ll assume you don’t offer the product or service anymore. Making regular updates to your website is essential for keeping up with the latest trends.
Having content that it’s out-of-date on your website is a big turn off to potential customers. And there is no limitation on how long you should wait before updating your website – the more often, the better.
Staying updated will show visitors that you know what’s going on in the market and your company offers the best and the latest of any product or service.
4. Not Having a Target Market
Know your audience before building your company’s website. This will save you a lot of time and energy trying to please everyone. Having a target market allows you to optimize your website to meet the needs of your potential clients.
For instance, if your company’s website produces agricultural products, including information on cosmetic products wouldn’t make sense. This leads to wasted time, money, and energy. You may even lose your target audience when they can’t navigate through irrelevant content.
Conducting research on your target market will also help you avoid making web design mistakes. Show customers that your company understands what they need.
5. Following the Do-It-Yourself Policy
First impressions are key in both your professional and personal life. Website design isn’t the place to cut corners.
Invest in a quality company like Lorem to help you design the perfect website. Many small businesses try saving money by creating their own websites.
This usually leads to poor web design which ends up costing them more in the long run. Hiring an expert to design your website is a valuable investment that can help your company grow. Don’t follow the do-it-yourself principle for this aspect of business growth.
6. Not Prioritizing the Needs of Your Customers
This is a common mistake where companies rush to develop their website without understanding their clients first. The visitors of your website will know if your company is out to meet their needs or it’s simply out to get their money.
Prioritize the needs of your clients first and show them the benefits of your company’s products or services.
Making the needs for your customers a priority will also help you design your website in a unique way, giving you a competitive edge over other players in the industry.
7. Long Pages and Bulky Paragraphs
This is one of the most common web design mistakes that costs small businesses a lot of potential clients. People are easily distracted, making it very hard for them to stay on a website that has a lot of pages with long sentences.
Make your website text short and simple. This helps customers better understand the products and the services you’re offering.
We live in a society of instant gratification. You’ll be hard-pressed to find people surfing the web who have the time (or patience) to read lengthy content.
Make sure your website has short, clear sentences, and even include some bullet points when explaining the benefits of your products. Make the content scannable and easy to digest.
8. Not Tracking the Results
Many companies don’t track the progress of their websites to see how it’s performing. You need to know the number of people who visit your website and how long they stay on your page.
This action helps you determine if your website is doing its job and where you need to make some adjustments. You can track your company’s website by hiring a professional or using a free tool like Google Analytics.
Turn Your Web Design Mistakes into Gold
Avoiding web design mistakes will help your company improve its sales revenue, and even have a higher market share. As a small business, you can’t afford to have an under-performing website. It will eventually drag your company down.
Instead, make changes to your website by hiring an expert and doing plenty of market research. This will help you attract new clients and strengthen the relationship you have with existing clients.
Check out our blog for more informative articles to help take your business to the next level.
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