Cringe-Worthy Websites: 5 Common Design Mistakes That Make Bad Websites

website design mistakes River Avenue Digital

It’s clear that most people know the difference between a good website from a bad one.

We’ve all been to terrible, anxiety-inducing sites and clicked away as fast as we could, resulting in lost sales for the site and a sigh of relief from ourselves.

But what makes the difference between good and bad? What factors are involved?

It’s important to know what makes bad websites bad so that you can avoid wasting resources and, instead, draw in customers and get them to stay.

Keep reading to find out 5 of the most common design mistakes so that you can avoid them.

1. Bad Websites Have Bad Navigation

Your website shouldn’t look like a sale flier in a newspaper.

If it does, you have too much going on, leading to slower load times and dissatisfied users.

Simplicity is the key to design. People should be able to easily look through your site to find the information they’re looking for…including contact information.

Also, your site should be user friendly for all users. Think about accessibility for impaired users or people who primarily use their mobile phones.

73% of users say content on websites must display well on the device they’re using.

And really, you only have a few seconds to impress people before they click away. Make those few seconds count by implementing simple but good-looking design.

2. Low-Quality Images and Content

Speaking of good-looking, do not use low-resolution pictures. A picture isn’t worth a 1,000 words if the picture is blurry or generic.

Use images that are crisp, relevant, and unique.

As for content, do the same. Seek to write in a simple but authentic voice that gives the reader an idea of who you are and what your business is about.

One way you can draw people in and provide quality content is to incorporate a blog on your site. This is an added-value product where the user will gain information and you will have more opportunities to show what you have to offer.

3. Unclear Message

Have you ever seen an advertisement or website and thought to yourself, “what are they selling?”

It happens all too often. Don’t be one of them.

To do this, have a clear brand and intent on your website. Your main page should summarize what you do, how you do it, and how it can enhance the user’s life.

Creating a cohesive brand includes using your logo and its colors throughout your site to tie everything together.

4. People Don’t Find the Site

There are approximately 1.94 billion websites in the world. One can only guess how many of those have only had a couple of views.

Because there’s a sea of information and businesses online, it’s important to direct some of your web design focus into search engine optimization (SEO).

SEO gets people to your site so that making your site isn’t a wasted effort.

The realm of SEO is complicated and ever-changing. Part of it involves analytics, which is how you measure the success of your website based on things like click-rate and site visits.

Even if you already have a site, you can outsource this aspect to generate more leads and sales.

5. No Call to Action

A call to action, or CTA, is the part of your website’s content that encourages the visitor to act.

This may mean learning more about a service, purchasing a product, or subscribing. Use a CTA on every page to encourage people to interact with your business one step further.

Use Your Resources

Rather than copying all of the bad websites out there, use them as a resource of what not to do.

Ultimately, your site should be simple to use, easy to find information and inspiring for users to keep coming back.

If you want to make sure you’re doing all that you can online, contact us today and we can get the process going (see what we did there: a straight-forward CTA).

Otherwise, keep reading our blog for more tips.

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Sal
Graci

Digital Marketing Manager

Walkout Song: Piano Man – Billy Joel

Bio: Sal Graci is an experienced and enthusiastic marketing professional with a broad range of skills. He has more than 10 years of experience designing, developing, and implementing a variety of marketing campaigns and projects. Sal has a proven track record of helping companies grow and achieve their goals through his own agency and private companies.

Education: Sal graduated from St. Joseph’s University in 2004 with an M.Ed. in Instructional Technology. He specializes in search engine optimization, PPC, and the overall design and development of marketing strategies. He also has extensive experience with a variety of marketing automation tools like Hubspot, Active Campaign, and SendInBlue.

Community: Believing in staying active within the community, Sal performs musically for a variety of charity events including fundraisers for CHOP. He also donates and works with various food banks throughout the Philadelphia area.

In his free time… Sal enjoys playing with his band Good Night Graci and recording/writing music. He also has a love for sports and is a regular host on a bi-monthly podcast called Enough Said.