In 2022, online sales will reach the $1 trillion mark for the first time in the history of eCommerce. It’s a figure that underlines how lucrative the online marketplace has become.
But even with the tremendous growth of digital commerce, many businesses still struggle to make sales online. Surprisingly, 90% of online businesses fail within four months of their launch.
A common mistake businesses make is assuming that having a website is all it takes to generate sales online. But many business websites out there are riddled with web design mistakes that scare away potential clients. Recognizing and avoiding these mistakes is a huge step in building a successful digital marketing campaign.
Today, we take a closer look at six top web design errors you need to avoid on your company website.
1. Overlooking the Importance of Intuitive Navigation
The process of designing business websites involves brainstorming, site mapping, and wireframing. Choosing to skip any of these steps is the root of many web design errors. You may end up with a poorly configured website menu and navigation layout.
Users dislike improper navigational structures and will shun your website after the first visit. Nobody wants to scroll through a website with a random structure. It’s a pain for a user to find what they’re looking for.
That’s why it’s essential to have a sensible layout when designing website pages. Where your site has multiple pages, group them into proper categories, and arrange the categories hierarchically. This way, users can navigate your website.
Note that navigation isn’t always the same for all devices. Use a navigation strategy that works best for a variety of devices. Above all, make every effort to have a mobile-friendly website, as mobile devices account for nearly 54% of all web traffic.
2. Taking Website Accessibility Lightly
Another costly mistake entrepreneurs make when marketing businesses online is ignoring the importance of an easily accessible website. By overlooking this aspect during your web design process, you’re shutting out many of your potential visitors.
You want your web design to cater to all users who wish to access your content, products, or services. That includes more than 300 million people who suffer from color blindness worldwide. It also includes the many more who are deaf or otherwise impaired.
Work with a web design service that uses a design-thinking approach that takes into account all kinds of users. Scrutinize every aspect of the design from the point of view of accessibility. That includes aspects like color contrasts, text size, keyboard accessibility, voice search, and image alternate text.
3. Getting It Wrong in Hierarchical Aesthetics
The secret to making money online is to get it right when it comes to user engagement. You want to encourage as much user interaction as possible, and that’s where hierarchical aesthetics come in.
Your overall web design should aim at providing well-advised user journeys, all the way to the CTAs. Use appealing content to keep your users engaged. That means creatively using words, images, colors, small animations, and so on.
Take note of how you space and size the elements on your page. These simple details can make a huge difference when it comes to driving user engagement.
4. Not Having a Security-Frist Approach to Web Design Approach
2021 was a record-breaking year for data breaches, with the total number of breaches by September already 17% more than all cases reported in the whole of 2020. Tens of millions of people fell victims to these breaches, with many facing serious financial and reputational harm.
That’s why every company has a responsibility to integrate cybersecurity into their web design. It’s not enough that you have an attractive, easy-to-navigate website. If your site is not secure, you’re putting your clients, staff, and investors at risk.
Users want to know that their security and privacy are assured when they interact with your site and conduct transactions there. If you cannot give this guarantee, you’ll start to lose customers. And in the event of a successful data breach, the consequences could be severe.
5. Having a Cluttered Web Design
Sure, you want to make sure that your website users can find the solutions they’re looking for. That means you should be careful not to too little information on your company website.
But most websites have the opposite problem. They’re cluttered with too much information, making them difficult to access, understand, and consume. Having too many resources on your website often leads to clutter and can overwhelm your visitors.
Take a closer look at your current website and see whether it needs some decluttering. It may even be necessary to revamp the site entirely. Aim to have a neatly structured, templated, and scalable website.
6. Failing to Have a Clear CTA
Clear call-to-actions (CTAs) are a key element of every business website. The CTA acts as a signpost, letting users know what they need to do next. Without a CTA, your users may not know what steps to take next and will keep leaving your website without converting.
The problem is more common than you may think. A staggering 70% of small businesses’ B2B websites have no CTA. It’s no wonder why so many company websites do little to enhance sales.
Steer Clear of Web Design Mistakes That Could Hurt Your Sales
Your website is your most important asset when it comes to marketing your business digitally. That’s why you need to keep its appearance and functioning at the highest levels at all times. The secret is to steer clear of some common web design mistakes many businesses make.
Are you interested in making money online? Avoid website design mistakes and start your own online website business today.