Website development has come a long way since the launch of the internet in the late 1980’s. Since the world has turned so heavily towards online consumerism in the past few decades, the competition to have a dynamic, traffic stopping website has never been higher.
These days a web design agency takes care of the design and development processes of most successful websites. The problem is, even professional web developers sometimes make mistakes which can prove costly.
What seems like a small mistake at first, can result in a web site that’s hard to navigate, is incompatible with devices, and will never reach its intended audience. You may as well open a window and throw $100 notes into the wind, it’s a complete waste of time and money.
There are many things to be aware of to ensure your website is a success, and common mistakes web designers fall victim to. Let’s examine 5 key mistakes to avoid when designing a website.
1. Missing The Target – Call To Action
Websites should have a key goal or call to action, which is a set of different tactics used to target a specific audience, and encourage them to interact. If that audience can’t be reached then the whole process is a failure.
When building a website think about whether the content and images are relevant to the product or service you are trying to advertise, and whether the links you provide are not only useful, but open easily on any device. If you can’t hook your audience in the first few seconds of viewing, then say goodbye.
Find clever ways of optimising your conversion marketing that will maximise site activity. Think about clever power sentences that provide a clear message, and keep your reader’s attention long enough to draw them in.
2. Mobile Compatibility
What looks great on a computer or laptop screen may not translate when viewed from a smaller device or mobile. More than 50% of people use their mobile phones for everything these days from shopping to dating; if your site isn’t compatible, then you’ll lose out big time. Consider which images and text fonts will work on smaller devices, there’s no point having fancy text and flashing images if they don’t load for half the population.
3. Long Load Times
One thing we know about humans is they are mostly impatient and their time is precious. If your website takes too long to load, or the links lead to dead-ends, then expect people to drop off before you’ve got your point across.
Make sure you frequently test, and update links to avoid the *404 PAGE NOT FOUND zone, that instantly drives a person to look elsewhere. Avoid over complicated imagery and font as these can take longer to load, and replace sluggish plug-ins and over-complicated themes.
4. No SEO or Analytics
Diagnostic tools such as SEO and analytics can be critical in finding areas where your website might be failing. SEO optimisation will ensure your website ranks higher on the major search engines (like Google and Bing). The further down in rank you are, the less your website is likely to be seen. Look at strategies to improve your SEO to increase visibility.
Analytics provide web designers the advantage of seeing what their audience gets up to on their site. Which areas they stayed the longest in and which links they followed. They also provide key information about the ranking and popularity of your site.
5. Lack of Information
People visit your website for a reason, so don’t disappoint them by failing to deliver on promised information. If the key info isn’t found quickly and easily, the content is too drawn out, or the wording is overly complicated, then expect the herds to move on.
You want to grab people’s attention as soon as they arrive at your page. With strategic sentences and catchy images address their reason to be there in the first place. Make sure your content is aligned with your call to action and if not, scrap it and start again.
Conclusion
Mistakes teach us important lessons, but a mistake in website development is just bad for business. Spending the time to make sure all the components of your website work together will pay off, especially when the visitor count goes sky high, and you’re raking in the profit.
You don’t need to be a genius to create a dynamic money-making website, you just need to know how the system can work in your favour. To get the most out of your web design and development, cover all of your bases, then go back and check them again. It pays to be overly cautious when the worldwide web is watching.