We all know that websites are more important than ever when it comes to building a business’ reputation and reaching customers not just in the UK but all over the world. As consumers spend more and more time online, they’re becoming more discerning and it’s therefore essential that your web design meets or exceeds expectations.
There are still plenty of common mistakes being made in the world of web design, many of which could be easily avoided by working with experienced web designers in Surrey, for example.
An article for Business2Community recently highlighted a few of the top pitfalls you should avoid when you’re designing your website, or updating an existing site. It explained that certain design decisions can damage your site’s performance.
At the top of the list is making sure that your landing pages are clean, inviting and not too cluttered. This will often be the first impression a consumer gets of your brand and you want it to be a good one.
Consider how you can streamline the experience for the visitor and help them to find exactly what they’re looking for quickly and easily. A top tip from the publication is to use a traffic heatmap to see which sections of your site people are actually using.
In doing so, you may discover there are certain links on your homepage that are seldom clicked, in which case you could tidy them up.
Think very carefully before introducing pop-ups and other methods of forced engagement to your site. If you ask people to commit to your brand too quickly, you will more than likely turn them off.
Don’t allow pages sharing information to be hidden by pop-ups asking people to subscribe to emails, for example. Instead, wait until someone has committed to your product or service before you ask them to sign up. They are much more likely to do so once they’ve chosen your brand.
It’s also advisable to set videos as ‘click-to-play’ rather than having them automatically playing as soon as the site loads. Think about the pop-ups and other forced engagement that you’ve encountered on other sites and how it made you feel. If you found it frustrating, chances are your visitors will feel the same way if they encounter it on your site.
The key is finding a way to encourage consumers to engage with your brand without these requests getting in the way of their browsing experience.
These concepts all tie in with how you can use your web design to improve the user experience at your business. We recently explored some of the ways in which good web design can enhance a user’s experience and consequently increase the chances of them spending money with your business.
One of the keys is keeping the loading time of your website to a minimum, as people expect websites to load quickly. Keeping your design clean and minimal will help with this, but your designer should also make sure that any images are sized appropriately and that page elements are compressed where appropriate.
