Change is the only constant in the world of web design and it can often be difficult to keep track of every new trend or best practice hitting this space. However, not keeping an eye on these trends can be bad for both, designers and business owners. This is why we’ll discuss some of the biggest web design problems you need to be aware of and their solutions. Let’s begin!
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01. The Less than 4 seconds rule
- When Google started ranking websites based on their page loading time, it encouraged site owners to speed up their websites in order to get visitors to spend more time on their site, to improve overall user experience, and also to cut down operational costs. For faster loading websites, there should be a balance between the use of images and speed of web pages.
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02. Colour contrast is still as important
Perhaps, color contrast is a topic that will never go out of discussions in the field of web design. And for good reason. Using proper color contrast in web design is important not just for the aesthetic value, but also for optimum web accessibility. Making sure that your website’s color contrast is maintained can improve the responsiveness and accessibility of your website, especially for those who are color blind or visually. You can test your website’s color contrast using several available tools to avoid issues in web designing.
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03. Web design that gets in the way of sale
Often business owners think that a beautiful website is all that it takes to generate leads and create sales. They couldn’t be more wrong! The truth is that if you want your website to showcase your product in a way that generates sales, not only does your website need to look good, but it also needs to be designed keeping in mind the elements that help to convert website visitors into buyers.
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04. Website needs to be treated like a product
Many business owners make the mistake of not giving their website as much attention as they give to their products. This is a big reason why they don’t deploy a product manager or at least, a marketing analyst who can understand the business, marketing and then guide the design team accordingly. Result? Their websites suffer from repeat redesigns, causing their expenses to escalate.
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06. Navigational Failure
A website that’s difficult to navigate is a surefire way to put off visitors and give them reasons not to return to your site. Ever. This is why it’s important to have a web design that allows your visitors to easily move from one part of your website to the other. Guide your visitors to take the next step through strategically placed clear call-to-actions, instead of forcing them to figure things out on their own.
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07. Website content that fails to address customer’s needs and preferences
Your website’s content, no matter how pleasing and well-crafted, can be ineffective if it fails to give all the relevant information that your customers may be looking for. Therefore, it’s important to ask the following questions while deciding on the right design for your website:
- What information is most important to your customers?
- What do they need to know in order to convert?
- Which colours and fonts appeal them?
- Would they prefer more text as opposed to images, or the other way round?
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08. Web pages crammed with too much information
A website that’s stuffed with way too much information than it should ideally contain is as worse as a website that has too little information. Such a website is not only poor in terms of user experience but in terms of aesthetics and visual appeal as well.
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09. Web standards
If you’ve been led to think that you must obsess over web standards, usability, tableless CSS, and HTML 5, and while they are important, here’s a reality check—they are simply tools to create a good performing website such as improving SEO-friendliness, reducing bandwidth, and so on. And, we all know that in the end, it’s the site’s performance that matters.
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10. Call to actions missing
Truth be told, it doesn’t make sense to painstakingly attract visitors to your website and then, leave them mid-way without telling them what they should do next. When your website lacks proper call-to-action buttons, it confuses visitors and encourages them to leave your site even if they were interested in your products/services in the first place. What a waste of leads!