Common Website Design Mistakes that Destroy Your Conversions

As a business owner, your website is the lifeblood of your organization. It’s your company’s primary source of leads and revenue, so it only makes sense that you want your website to have the highest conversion rate possible.

Did you know that some simple but common web design mistakes could be destroying your conversion rate?

It only takes a few common website design mistakes to destroy the conversion rate on your new site. Learn how to avoid design mistakes below.

A Quality Website Design Is Essential

Your new website is likely to be the primary source of revenue for your business. That statement alone tells you why having a quality site design is essential. However, making just one common web design mistake can tank that quality.

Throughout the website design process, keep in mind that:

• Your website is often the first point of contact between you and your potential customers.
• Website content should be easy to scan and should push your target audience in the right direction.
• Load times matter.
• Website users need direction.
• Your website's content should build trust between you and your audience.

Even web designers fail to follow these guidelines sometimes, but if you keep these points in mind, chances are you’ll avoid the most common web design mistakes that harm conversions.

Common Website Design Mistakes To Avoid

You might be surprised at how much of a difference some seemingly small but common mistakes can make. Find the details of the top website design mistakes to avoid below.

Boring Content

Content is king online, but it’s not enough to have compelling content.  Whether you're crafting a wonderful article or basic website copy, your content needs to be easy to digest.

Boring and dense content is one of the most common website design mistakes. User research shows that most online users and mobile users don’t really read web pages—they scan them. Therefore, every web page on your site has to be scannable to make for breezy user journeys.

Here are some tips to avoid this web design mistake:

• Keep Paragraphs Short: Keep your paragraphs between 1–4 sentences. This keeps your content mobile friendly while quickly conveying information your target customer needs.
• Use Bullets: Incorporate bulleted lists to add variety.
• Headers & Subheaders: Use headers and subheaders to organize your information
• Test on Mobile Devices: Make sure your website's design is legible on mobile devices.

Slow Load Times

Website speed correlates with user experience. When your website has slow load times, website visitors are likely going to have a negative experience. If you have a responsive website with faster load times, visitors will have a more positive experience.

So, how do you fix slow load times?

Two primary factors play into website speed:

• Your Code: Ensure that your website code is optimized for speed.
• Your Web Host: Think about choosing a faster host if load times are still an issue.

To address both issues, consider migrating your website to Webflow. Webflow is an easy-to-use content management system (CMS) and web development platform known for fast load times that give your site a seamless user experience and better security. Webflow websites are hosted through Amazon’s AWS, one of the fastest hosts available.

Lack of Trust Signals

To satisfy your user needs, you need two important components to build trust between your brand and your audience:

• Testimonials: Ask real customers for testimonials and publish them on your website for target customers to read.
• Visible Contact Details: So many websites hide behind a contact form when most visitors just want a phone number and mailing address. If new visitors land on your website, you want to give them a clear way to interact with you directly.

A common website design mistake is neglecting to include these components or making them difficult for users to find.

Forgetting Your Funnel

Have you ever tried to top off the oil in a car without a funnel? Chances are that at least a small amount of that oil is going to leak onto the engine. Websites are no different. A website without a funnel will result in lead leaks.

When website visitors arrive on your landing page, they should immediately understand how to get to other pages of interest. Otherwise, they could find themselves wandering around your website without ever coming across a call to action that leads to a sale or lead capture.

Boost your conversion rate by remembering these important tips for an accessible design:

• Make sure that you design your website to nudge visitors in the right direction. When people visit your website, they need to be guided through the process of properly using it.
• Give your visitors options, but not too many options. Guide them to a clear, big, and bold call to action that tells them what to do next.
• Create content that guides your visitors down your sales funnel. Each click of the mouse should get them closer to a lead capture form while providing them with entertaining educational materials that keep them clicking.
• Include links to all important pages in the top bar of the website. A search bar can also be a helpful element to include here.
• Include links to your contact page, your about page, and all other important pages in the footer.
• Use compelling visual elements, but not so many that your user gets overwhelmed.
• Perform usability testing to make sure the average visitor can navigate your website.

Failure to Use Lead Magnets

The best mindset for a web designer is that you only have one opportunity to get a user's information. Once they leave your site, there’s no telling if they’ll ever come back.

That’s why it’s important to use lead magnets. Lead magnets are design aspects that help persuade a website visitor to give you their contact information.

For example, if you operate a door replacement company, offer a free e-book that tells new visitors which options offer the most storm protection in exchange for their email address.  

Missing Call to Action

Make sure that you have a clear, big, and bold call to action on each page of your site that guides your visitors to your desired end result. Avoid these common website mistakes when designing your call to action:

• Basic font styles that don't stand out from the rest of your page's text
• Irrelevant images or low-quality images that obscure the call to action
• Vague wording that fails to provide valuable information

No Way To Follow Up

You might successfully obtain a user's email address, but if you don't have a follow-up system, that user might disappear and never give you a second thought while they explore other pages and businesses.

It's a common mistake to assume that customers will continue thinking about your site without reminders. Email marketing automation helps maintain a line of communication between you and your new contact. It might take upwards of 10 emails before the visitor becomes a customer, but with patience you can develop a deeper level of trust with your new contact.

Outdated Designs

Have you ever thought, “Wow that’s pretty vintage,” when you’ve visited a new website? Chances are, you didn’t stick around and went to some other page with a more modern website design.

Online visitors expect a modern appearance. The more modern your website looks, the more established your visitors will perceive your brand to be. An outdated website design, however, hurts your website's credibility.

Don't make the website design mistake of keeping your old, outdated website's appearance. A fresh website redesign with modern design elements could have a significant impact on your conversion rate.

Overuse of Ads

Advertising is one of the common website design mistakes that destroys the user experience.  

Although banner ads are important sources of revenue on some websites, they’re easy to overuse. It’s important to work to find a balance between valuable content and advertising content.

Analyze ad reports to determine which banner ads (or pop ups, although web users tend to dislike spammy pop ups) perform best and which ads aren’t performing well. You may find that ads with solid performance do even better when you remove ads with poor performance.

Poor Color Choices

It’s nice to have a colorful website, but overuse of colors is among the biggest web design mistakes. Too much color can turn your audience off and make them leave. Be mindful of what impression you’re making with your brand colors.

As you build your website, consider the emotional impact each color you use has on your audience. Moreover, make sure the colors flow naturally and contribute to a visually appealing aesthetic. Most designers choose a limited color palette to keep the website's colors from overwhelming the senses.

Belt Creative Can Help Make Your Website Convert

Finding a web design that brings you a great conversion rate is akin to painting a masterpiece. It's not easy, but pulling it off brings incredible benefits to website owners.

If you need help with a web strategy that leads to great conversion rates, you’re in luck: you have access to our team at Belt Creative. The website development team at Belt Creative knows and avoids the most common website mistakes that harm conversions. Our team has decades of combined experience designing websites that don’t just look good—they convert.

Schedule your free consultation and start exploring the web design world today.