8 Sins of Web Design: Does Your Business Need a Website Overhaul?
Every successful shop owner will tell you that portraying a positive first impression is critical, so keeping your shop window fresh and vibrant is pivotal to enticing people walking by to come inside. The same is true of your website, it is the shop window of your business. So, ask yourself, has your website become stale? Is your website in need of an overhaul?
Often, businesses allow their websites to go stale due to a lack of understanding of what ROI they can expect from it. SEO is key to this – statistics show that achieving top rankings on a keyword search can earn you 33% of the share of overall clicks. To put that into context – 5,000 keywords searches will gain you approximately 1,650 site visitors. A massive potential for sales that any business can’t afford to lose.
So, is it time for your website’s overhaul? Disruptor Media explore the eight sins of web design that can affect a business’ ROI.
Putting your own needs above the customers
Providing a great customer experience is key. Ask yourself: “Have I put the needs of the customer above my own?” A big mistake a lot of businesses make is to employ a hard sell approach. Of course, it is necessary to have a strong call to action, but it shouldn’t detract from the customer experience. Therefore, make sure your site is focused on user-ability and is easy to navigate. A poor user experience is likely to turn potential customers away.
Refusing to learn from the competition
If your website is not delivering the ROI that you expect, try to learn and understand what is good about the metrics your competitors are applying on their site. If they are reaping the rewards using that system, is there any reason it can’t bring success to your website too?
Too much spam can make you poorly
Of course, you need to get your business message out there, but it is important to be balanced in your approach. By bombarding potential customers with spam mail, adverts and pop-ups, you risk alienating users from your brand. One, or maybe two pop-ups at the most per-session would be sufficient, anything more and you risk causing annoyance.
Content overload
Sometimes it is easy to over-egg the pudding. Do you find that some of your content is being repeated or is simply not relevant? If so, it is advisable to take a break from content for a short while. Consider revamping an old article instead of creating a new one. This is likely to keep your audience interested until fresh material appears.
Expecting too much too soon
An easy trap to fall into is to expect too much too soon. Even though you’ve launched your website and are proud of its layout and content, it is unlikely it will bring instant success. You will find that you will have to keep working on your metrics to improve them. This will take time, but persevere and you will reap the rewards.
Website too slow?
This relates back to the customer experience. Are your site’s pages slow in loading up? If so, this can be a big turn-off for visitors. A useful tool to use is Google’s page speed insights tool. This will inform you if your load speed requires attention. There is usually an easy fix, such as compressing HTML files or simply optimising pages.
Seeing the cost of something and the value of nothing
Okay, so it is important to be prudent and not throw good money away. But there are some aspects of a business that requires an appropriate level of investment – your website is one of them. Remember, your website is the shop window to your business. A good web designer and SEO agency will know how to maximise business opportunities through your website.
Failing to make a website mobile responsive
Research shows that in 2016 mobile web usage overtook desktop usage for the first time. With more and more people using a mobile device to research products, purchase items, book services and generally browse the internet, it’s quite simply vital that modern websites are mobile responsive.
Put simply, a mobile responsive design ensures a website is mobile-friendly. Being mobile-friendly means visitors can view the website easily and successfully on a mobile device, can navigate the site on the go and ensures the website is at its best when visited from any device.
Looking to overhaul your website and avoid the 8 sins? Then contact leading UK web designers, Disruptor Media. We have vast experience in delivering success to many of the UK’s most recognisable brands. Check out how our team of SEO and web design experts can do the same for your website, the window of your business.