The mistakes in the website design can cost you a lot of money. Although you can learn from those mistakes and improve your website; however, it is better to be prepared before developing a website and avoid making any mistakes. This can save you time and money. Here are the most common website mistakes and how you can prevent them.

Mistake # 1 – Using poor quality photos

In almost every business nowadays, a website is the first introduction to a potential client. Using a poor-quality photo can ruin your first impression, which can have a last long effect on your revenues. Therefore, you must avoid using any blurry or low pixel picture.

The photos on your website should be plagiarism-free and of the highest quality. It is better to use the original picture of the products you are offering. However, if that is not possible, then you can always use stock photos. These photos are readily available on the internet free of cost. You can use websites like www.canva.com and Shopify Burst (free stock images)

Mistake # 2 – Using lengthy videos

A good quality video on your website can have a good impact on the audience. However, if the length of the video is too long, it can disengage the visitor. This is not desirable because you would not be able to convey the message of your video.

Therefore, it is recommended to use short videos to keep the visitor interested in your website. If at all, you have to use the long videos, you must break it into two or three segments. The maximum duration of the video should be around 60 to 90 seconds.

Mistake # 3 – No use of social media

Social media is a handy way to connect to new customers. You can take the potential customers from the social media platform to your website. This can increase the traffic on your website to many folds, which is not possible through the traditional web searching method.

Therefore, your website should be linked to social media platforms such as Instagram. You must actively post your offers and invite the clients to click on your website and check the offers on it. You can use paid advertising on social media to promote your website, which is a hot thing nowadays.

Mistake # 4 – Poor navigation on the website

New website developers often fall victim to the poor navigation trap on their websites. This is the most common mistake, which makes the site difficult to navigate. It can frustrate the visitors because they can get lost and may never revisit your webpage.

A problematic website is unacceptable in this competitive era. You must add a visible navigation bar so it could be seen on the screen of any size.

A more straightforward and easy to use website can generate much more traffic because it causes repeated customers on your webpage. You must also add a sitemap, which allows the users to jump on any page on your website.

Mistake # 5 – Using slideshows on the homepage

Website developers often use slideshows on the homepages of their websites because it looks aesthetically pleasing. However, it makes the website inefficient. The information becomes distorted because slideshows come with some complications. It depends on the internet speed and the browser.

Slideshows can diffuse the end message because some users are not that patient to wait for the next slide. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid using slideshows and display the information on the webpage more straightforwardly. So, users can get the message in a one go.

Mistake # 6 – Using longer pages

It is a common misconception among many website developers that longer pages are better. However, it can sometimes irritate the users, and they can ultimately leave your website with no intention of coming back. Therefore, demanding too much concentration from the user is not a good idea.

You must provide a well-written content which should be easy to read. If at all, you have to offer more information, it must be divided into several chunks. Headings and bullet points should support your content because many readers will only skim the page.

Mistake # 7 – Starting a website without SEO

You can make the appearance of your website great, and it could be easier to navigate as well. However, if you have not worked on the SEO in your website design, then your beautiful website is not going to get much traffic.

It is a disaster for your website because SEO is the most critical factor in the success of your website. You can take help from SEO experts who can make your site much more visible on the internet.

You cannot rely on paid traffic because the cost is too much. SEO can improve your search engine ranking, which ultimately causes the growth of organic traffic.

Mistake # 8 – Website is not mobile-friendly

Website developers focus too much on the desktop version that they factor out the website performance on mobile phones. In this era of the mobile revolution, most of the users are accessing websites through mobile phone devices. Therefore, if your website is not performing on web browsers of mobile phones, then it is bad news for your business.

Try to build your website in a way that fits your content on any device. Avoid using heavy material that requires flash drivers to be visible. Make your website simple and use the appropriate font sizes that work on both desktop and mobile phones.

Test the visuals of your web content on all the devices before launching your website. If you are designing an e-commerce site, then the performance on the mobile phone becomes even more critical because 30% of the users go shopping through mobile phones.

Mistake # 9 – No search box

If a user is trying to get some specific information on your website, then the search box can be of great help because it will save the time of the user. It can be optional for regular pages and blog posts. However, it is a must for eCommerce sites.

A search box makes your website more fluid and easier to use. You do not have to go on each category and check all the irrelevant information. You have to type the desired information in the box and get the results within 5 seconds.

Mistake # 10 – No clear call to action

You have built an excellent website and successful in generating traffic on it. However, this is the half part of your success story. The other half is to convince the visitor to make a purchase. It could be done by establishing credibility first. Many website developers skip this part and consider traffic generation as a success for their webpage.

You should have a clear call to action for your website. If you are not able to convince the user to have an interest in your website content, he will leave the webpage within a minute. The attention span of a visitor is concise, and a clear call to action can help you to move him to the next step.

Mistake # 11 – Focusing only on product or service

Many website owners talk too much about the products or services they are offering on their platform. The focus on the product features is too much that they eliminate addressing the problem of the customers. People visit the webpages to get solutions that are most relevant to the issues they are facing.

The attention span of a user on a website is very short. Therefore, if you are not focusing on customer needs, you might lose sales opportunities. The website should be customer-centric and provide the products around their needs. This is a flaw in many websites that are designed by inexperienced website developers.

Mistake # 12 – Using a lot of keywords

Right keywords can increase the ranking of your website on the search engine. However, it does not mean that you should use a lot of keywords on a single page. This practice is ineffective and can lower your rankings and overall sales.

There should not be more than 2 or 3 keywords per page for generating good traffic on your website. Using more than 3 keywords can confuse the search engine, and it is very unproductive. You should focus on specific keywords and check the effectiveness of these keywords on a search engine before placing it.

Mistake # 13 – No clear message on your website

In this competitive age of the internet revolution, the key to success is the focus. You must be known as an expert on a single product in the market. If that is not the case, you can become a jack of all trades, which is of no value nowadays. You must talk about your expertise and how you can add value to the prospect’s life.

You must have one message on your homepage about who you are and how you can help your customers. This can differentiate you from other websites because the customer will remember you for that one single message.

Mistake # 14 – Too much copying

New website developers have this misconception that if one thing is working for a business, it will work for them as well. So, they copy the whole idea of some websites. This is unethical and not accepted by SEO as well. It can ultimately lower your website ranking and website traffic.

Everything on your website should be unique. I am not asking to start from scratch. But you should be able to rephrase the words and present the idea and products in your own words. You can also take the help of article writers who can provide plagiarism-free content. It can work for your website and increase its ranking as well.

Mistake # 15 – No updated NAP (Name, Address and Phone Number)

Website owners often overlook the name, address, and phone number of their business. They think that their business is online, and they do not need to provide or update the information to that extent. However, it is essential to provide or update such information.
You can lose a customer if he is directed to the wrong location or is unable to contact you through your phone number. You must always be ready to serve the customer through multiple channels. Therefore, every contact detail should be provided and updated accordingly.

Mistake # 16 – Under-planned website

You cannot open a store without creating a business plan. You have to decide things like the target market, products to be offered, and pricing from the very beginning of the business. If that is not the case, you might get some success in the beginning; however, your business cannot thrive for a longer time.

You must think through everything. The same is the case with the website’s development. You cannot sell everything to everyone on a single site. You have to plan the target audience and pricing of your products and then start your website.

An under-planned website can cause some severe chaos for website visitors. It can easily confuse them, which leads to lost sales. Try to provide the quality content which can keep the target audience engaged. You cannot bring everyone on your webpage.

Mistake # 17 – Not using Google Analytics

Google Analytics, a free to use service which provides the facility to gauge the success of your website. You can use this tool to check which area of your website needs work. It can help your website to generate more traffic and improve the overall statistics of your business.

However, many inexperienced website owners are unaware of Google Analytics. They use hit and trial methods to generate more traffic rather than using this tool to be more focused and precise in catering to the problem. Google Analytics is a user-friendly tool and can be customized in accordance to your needs.

Mistake # 18 – Suffocating visitors with Popups and Adverts

Website visitors are aware of the fact that you want to earn from your website. However, it does not mean that you can suffocate them with popups and ads. This can ruin their experience, and they might never come back on your website.

If you want ads for generating money, then you must take care of your customers as well. Make sure that the ad is not annoying. Avoid those ads that require more space on the webpage or use annoying colors. Your primary focus should be to provide an excellent experience to your visitor.

Conclusion

A website is an essential tool to differentiate your business from your competition. You can capitalize on this opportunity to generate more revenue for your business. However, you must avoid the most common mistakes from the very beginning, which can cost you a lot of money.

I have highlighted the most common mistakes that can be avoided to generate more traffic on your website. You can increase your website ranking on search engines through the right keywords and utilize online tools to keep your webpage updated.

You must develop a strategy before launching your website. The essence of the website is to promote your service or product. However, it should be kept as secondary. The primary focus should be on solving the problems of people. If you can achieve this, then people will come again and again on your webpage. Try to facilitate people by providing simple and easy to understand website.