A business website is one of, if not the most, important marketing and branding tool available today. Your website is typically the first level of interaction potential customers have with your company. Many visitors make a decision to buy your services or work with you based solely on how well your website is designed. Thus, having a engaging and user-friendly website design is essential in this day in age. One great way to achieve this is to learn about common website design errors other businesses have made to avoid making the same mistakes.

The business value of a website is that it creates a solid foundation for your online presence along with boosting your brand image and market reach. Even if you don’t do business on the internet, a website can be used to create a good impression and ultimately contribute to your business model. It is essential to create the best impression. Here are six of the most common website design errors that businesses make:

1: Building For The Sake of Building

Some businesses rush to make a website and publish it on the web. Yet, you should initially define your target market. Who do you want to visit your website? Who do you expect to visit your website?

Once you have defined the target market, you can take time to design your website. For example, if most of your target users use mobile devices to browse the internet, then you should make sure your website is mobile-friendly.

You need to also determine what you want visitors to do on your website. Some companies want visitors to sign up to a subscription, while others might want them to click through to another website. By defining how you expect your visitors to interact with your website, you can create your content and design around this.

2: Designing a Website That is Too Busy

It is tempting to put all your content on one page or have tons of images and videos. However, this is very distracting because once someone ends up on your website, they won’t know where to go or how to find the information they want.

Busy websites with large amounts of text or lots of animations usually don’t scale too well either. Meaning that when someone looks at your website on a mobile device, they will likely find it hard to navigate and just leave. Typically the last thing you want to do is make visitors leave your website.

Instead, aim for a website that is concise and clean. Important content should be easy to find and it should be clear on what you have to say, who you are, and what you want for your visitors.

3: Lacking Call To Actions

Business related websites typically have a goal for what they want visitors to do. It could range from simply calling the company, downloading an app, or even making a purchase. It is vital that you direct your visitors toward what you want them to do in the most efficient way. The best way to do this is through a call to action. These are typically buttons that motivate the visitor to click and follow the instructions on what do do, whether that is to sign up for something or call your company.

The most effective calls to action stand out from the rest of the content, drawing the visitor’s attention and hopefully motivating them to click. They should also be clear and concise. Text like “Download Now!” or “Call Us For a Free Quote!”

The best calls to action stand out from the content, drawing the reader’s eye and hopefully inspiring them to click. They should also be clearly written, simple, and direct. e.g., ‘Call us today!’ or ‘Download now!’

4: Misguided Content

It may seem worthwhile to write in-depth content and while this can be true, it isn’t always the case. People often skim read on the internet and it’s different that other mediums.

While it can be good to have a lot of content for SEO purposes, having “fluff” in your content is not. Therefore, you should stick to only providing the most important information. Tell your visitors what your services and/ or products do while providing a few of the most important benefits. The goal is to develop enough interest so that your website visitors will click on the call to action and connect with you the way you want.

Creating a more interactive and visual website showcasing your services and products leads to higher engagement and possible higher customer conversions. For example, Google’s website is very simple and visual, yet provides just enough information so the visitors know what services they provide and what they are expected to do.

5: Static Content

When you invest the money and time to write a great website, it’s tempting to leave it sitting there after it’s all said and done. However, it’s very important to realize that the internet is always changing. What make have been regarded as great website design and content a couple years ago is probably not regarded as such anymore.

It is advised to periodically update your website’s design and content to keep up with the current trends, making it more modern. Another important related aspect of your content is to ensure your content is up-to-date. For example, if you are hosting a content and put the information on your website, you shouldn’t leave the info on it after the contest is long over. It generally looks unprofessional to have outdated content on your website still talking about the early 2000s.

6: Doing It Yourself

Most small to medium sized business owners and managers do not have in-depth website design skills, yet often think it’s a good idea to build their company’s website on their own. This can lead to many problems and a website that doesn’t meet your company’s needs. We strongly recommend that your work with a experienced and qualified designer who can help ensure that your website is designed and built with high standards.

RedWave Technology Group, LLC has experience creating many different web pages that get results. We can assess your current website and suggest changes or we can simply build you one from scratch. Your website is a representation of your company that everyone in the world will see.  Potential customers will judge your company by how your website looks and feels.  Having a professionally designed website will not only make a positive first impression, but it will also help build trust with potential clients, resulting in more sales.  Click here to fill out our questionnaire and get a free quote!