Top 5 Sins in Web Design

1. A badly designed homepage: Your home page is the quintessential page of your website. This is the first page a user will see and it is essential that you engage the user immediately. ‘Never judge a Book by its Cover’ does not apply to websites. If your home page looks unprofessional and outdated the user will assume the service and products that you offer are also of the same standard. Even worse, it makes your company come across as complacent.

2. Slow Loading Pages: Users more often than not get frustrated when a website takes too long to download and leave the site. It’s also worth noting when designing, that not all users have the fastest Internet connection. It is therefore essential not to overload the website with sophisticated and large web components in order to avoid delays in page load.

3. Legible Content: Similar to a well-written essay, contents should be written in a clear language (one that aims to target a specific audience) with relevant sub headings, short paragraphs etc. It also helps if the text colour and font contrasts nicely with the background so it’s easy to read.

4. Advertising: Too many advertising banners can distract users from your website. Users tend not to fixate their eyes on anything that looks like a banner therefore try to avoid any design that looks like an advert. Visitors are there to see your content not to click on your ads. Although these may generate some revenue for your company they should be hand picked and kept to a minimum. Likewise, Pops ups can be extremely annoying and should be avoided. There are better and more innovative practices to attract your visitors.

5. Confusing navigation and Dead Links: If users cannot find the relevant pages quickly or takes them to irrelevant information they will leave your site frustrated. This will increase your bounce rated. The same applies with dead links. Links that lead no where gives a very bad impression of your website and users get annoyed when you waste their time. Such experience might be the last time that person visits your site.

Most important point to remember is that Internet users are extremely demanding and expect to receive a fast, efficient service. The worldwide web is a huge endless market and your website cannot afford to fail on these key factors.

Contact us to find out how we can improve the quality of your website.