Picture the scene: you’re browsing the web for a new pair of running shoes, and you click on two different sites. One of them immediately draws you in. It’s simple, the search facilities are easy to use, and the checkout button is where you want it to be. The second website you look at it is a disorientating nightmare. The colour scheme clashes, there’s music playing that you can’t turn off, and you can’t filter through shoe sizes.

Which website do you buy your new shoes from?

Web design can make or break a business. As consumers, we’re impatient. Research suggests that bad websites are often abandoned in the first ten seconds, and even a slow page can put users off. One study suggested that 32% of users would give up on a slow loading page within one to five seconds. It’s simple; we don’t want to work too hard when we visit a website. To help you avoid these pitfalls, we’ve pulled together the top three mistakes made in web design. These mistakes are made far more regularly than you might imagine!

1. Too busy!
This can mean a lot of things. It can mean there’s too much text on the page, too many pictures, or too many colours. When someone visits your website, they should be drawn to one spot, and one spot only. Having too much of anything can leave them confused and frustrated. It should be immediately obvious what it is your business does, simply by looking at the front page.

2. No clear path
Your home page should be the hub of your website, and navigating to a specific section from the home page should be simple. The ‘Contact Us’ page is a good example of this. Too often, contact details are too difficult to find. By over complicating your navigation system, you’re making it more difficult than it should be for a potential customer to get in touch with you.

3. Know your audience
Target your website towards your audience. If you have a younger demographic, then some graphics and more laidback language might be appropriate. However, if your clientele is more professional then you’ll need a more serious approach. Too often designers try to create websites that appeal to everybody, ending up with a confused mess.

If you recognise any of these flaws in your website, or you need help creating the best possible user experience, then we would be happy to help. Our team will use expert knowledge and skills to create a website that will attract all the right users. So, if you want to chat it through, just get in touch.

 
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