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Is Your Web Design Costing You Customers?

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Did you invest a good amount of money and/or time into your website and aren’t seeing the engagement you hoped for? Maybe you have some website visitors, but not as much as you hoped for. Or, maybe you have a lot of website traffic, but no one is clicking on your calls-to-action. Instead of beating your head against your computer wondering what could be wrong, we recommend taking a second (or third) look at your web design.

You may not realize it until your website is live, but a website’s design does communicate with your visitors. Instead of doing so with words, it communicates through its layout and structure (also known as user interface or UI). When UI is executed correctly, it will connect with visitors and keep them on your website instead of running away.

According to our friends at a great Orlando, FL web design services company, here are the top ways your web design can have a negative impact on your website’s performance to gaining new leads and how to correct these problems.

A Cluttered Homepage

Your website’s homepage is pretty important, and while you may want to cram in as many messages as possible on this page it can leave visitors confused and distracted. If they come to your website looking for something specific and it’s a challenge to find it, it’s very off-putting and frustrating for all visitors.

A homepage’s ultimate goals should be to captivate visitors and grab their attention. This page needs to be simple and only include the most necessary information.

A homepage should serve as a webpage with a quick introduction and give your visitors visible links to what they need. Keep your content short and to the point, and create sections for different categories. Lastly, don’t overload it with visuals or anything that could make this page load slowly.

Text-Heavy Pages without Breaks and/or Images

Honestly, would you give this post a chance if it was all one HUGE block of text? If we’re being transparent, we probably wouldn’t read it ourselves. A website’s content is usually scanned for specific information, and too much block text will leave your visitors in boredom.

Text can become more intriguing by adding bulleted lists, breaks, call-outs, quotes or anything to break up your text. Your content should be easy to digest, so make it simple for your audience.

At a glance, images also tell a story. These images need to be high-quality and easy to load on a page. Also, make sure you text is written in a legible font and color and keep it consistent throughout your website.

Non-Actionable or Hidden Calls-to-Action

A call-to-action is supposed to just that – call people to take action. Whether that means they need to get a free quote, sign up for a newsletter or contact you, these buttons or links needs to as clear as day on your website. For an in-depth look at successful calls-to-action, please read one of our latest posts.

Your Website Isn’t Mobile Responsive

You are missing out on a world of opportunities if your website cannot offer the same experience across all devices. Considering more than half of consumers will check out your website on a mobile device or tablet, your web design should focus on mobile first.

To save yourself from losing potential customers, make sure to either use a responsive theme or a plugin that creates a mobile-friendly version of your WordPress website.

Too Many “Special Effects”

We’ve all seen websites that take advantage of the latest design trends. Animations and parallax scrolling are just some examples, but they just don’t have any real purpose besides “being trendy.” They lack any contributing content and can even distract your visitors from the content that matters.

You may have heard us say (and lots of other people) content is king, and it’s content that needs to be your UI’s focus. This doesn’t mean your website needs to all work and no play; add a dash of fun stuff to your website, but don’t overdo it.

Unsharable Content

Word of mouth is still a very powerful way to get new attention, and your visitors use social media to share their interests and/or news. It’s imperative you give them an easy way to share your content by adding sharing buttons on your website’s blog posts, articles and even on the header of your homepage.

Bad Color Palette

We’ve talked about the importance of color choices for your website before, but it’s something we can’t stress enough. Your web design’s palette will have an affect on your visitors’ mood, and some color choices may make your website look unprofessional. Strive to have a color palette that matches your brand while being pleasing to the eye.

Strong web design does take some thought. To be successful, you need to find a balance between functionality and creativity. Remember, your first design is not set it stone, so feel free to experiment with that works for you. Once you find the best fit for your website, your website analytics and number of leads will match your efforts.

To learn more about web design and UI, contact GreenMellen Media today!

About the Author

Brooke Desmond

Communications Manager
With a passion for all things digital marketing, Brooke aims to give a unique perspective on the latest trends and ideas in this ever-changing space.

View Brooke's Profile

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