13 web design mistakes to avoid

When designing a website it’s just as important to seek advice on what SHOULD NOT be included so that your planning and design workshops are absent of concepts and ideas that are counterproductive to good web design.

This is a simple exercise that’s so often overlooked with the result that personal (flawed) design influences negatively impact the effectiveness of the website. When a company’s website is of such importance it is staggering the number of websites that fall at the design hurdle.

The following list of 13 web design mistakes to avoid or DO NOTS is not exhaustive but as a start will help you avoid some of the major design pitfalls and at a bare minimum, get you live with a well-designed and functioning website.

This list is also as relevant to your existing website and if taken on board, will significantly improve your website’s performance.

Key Point: You should look at your role as a task manager. How can I help visitors to my website complete their task(s) as effortlessly and as easily as possible?

With that in mind, AVOID the following:

1. Don’t confuse your visitors with complicated or confusing messages
   Empirical evidence clearly shows that visitors to a website will make their minds up in under 2 seconds whether they will stay or not.
   I invite you to click on this link and see if you can determine in under two seconds what we do?
   Now, check the key message for your new website or visit your existing website. Is it clear and unambiguous what you offer you visitors?
2. Don’t clutter your homepage or any page for that matter.
   Don’t clutter your homepage with what we call ‘bells and whistles,’ unnecessary objects that distract your visitor from completing their key task.
   Plus, the more clutter, the slower your page loads and Google doesn’t like slow page loads.
3. Don’t use moving text, garish coloured cursors or music
   Linked to the load speed and note Google’s dislike which will hurt your SEO rankings.
   Plus, it’s really annoying to land on a website that hits you with music especially when you could be in your work environment.
4. Don’t automatically play videos
   A big no no. Visitors should be left to their own decision as to whether they want to watch your video or not as the case may be. On the Big Red Cloud website we have a clear ‘Play’ button on the client testimonial videos.
5. Don’t forget to include ALT Tags on all your images
   ALT Tags tell search engines what the image is about and this is very important in determining your overall SEO score.
   It’s so easy to do but you’d be surprised by how any companies neglect to do it.
6. Don’t, under any circumstances, have dead links
   Dead links are the kiss of death. Someone looking for a product or service that lands on a dead link will exit your website faster than a speeding bullet, pretty much without exception.
   Get to grips with this by using any one of a number of free dead link checkers.
7. Don’t use unreadable fonts.
   You’d think that this would be straight forward – not to use a font that will prove challenging to some visitors to read but lots of websites do.
   Here at Big Red Cloud, we spent quite an amount of time deciding on our font for the website and we recommend that you do too. We also spent a considerable amount of time distilling down our key message for the homepage (Simple accounting software. We help small businesses complete simple, everyday accounting tasks) and taken together with a readable font, makes if far more effective.
8. Don’t ignore mobile
   Many purchases today will begin on one device (mobile) and end on another (PC or tablet.)
   Make sure your website is responsive as it will provide easy reading and navigation with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling across a wide range of devices.
9. Don’t forget to ask for permission
   When a visitor provides their email address to download from your website don’t assume that you have permission to include them on your ezine or email list.
   Ask for permission and tell them what they can expect to receive. Permission based marketing is a whole lot more powerful than being viewed as a spammer.
10. Don’t’ bury your contact details 
    As previously stated, we should look at ourselves as task managers and one of the most frequent reasons for website visits it to get our contact details. Make it a clearly defined link either at the top of bottom of your homepage.
11. Don’t forget to measure twice and cut once especially when it comes to spelling
    Without a doubt, one of the biggest factors affecting the overall quality and perception of a website.
    Poor grammar and spelling reflects poorly on you, your products and your company. Spend time and double check everything.
12. Don’t use pop-ups
    Pop-ups can inadvertently block your website for a genuine visitor as they may have their pop-up blocker turned on. Don’t use pop-ups.
13. Don’t use drop-down menus
    Back to being a task manager – make it as easy as possible for your visitor to complete their task. Drop-down menus by their very nature take longer to navigate and may inadvertently hide what your visitor is actually looking for.

The 13 web design mistakes to avoid is a good a place to start and will go a long way to improving the effectiveness of your website. It’s worth repeating, your website is the world’s window to you and your company. You can provide your visitors with a great experience by making some simple changes or you can proceed as is and hope for the best.