4 common web design mistakes and how to fix them

A well-designed website doesn’t just look pretty – it’s a powerful tool that connects your business with your customers, driving sales, building brand recognition, and so much more. Unfortunately, common design mistakes can easily derail your website’s success, leading to user frustration and missed opportunities.

b4b’s web specialists have designed countless websites over the years, so we know a thing or two about making a website stand out. Below, we’ll cover four common web design mistakes and offer practical tips on how to avoid them.

1. Slow loading times

Today’s internet users are impatient. They want information as fast as possible, which means that slow loading websites are a major turn off. According to KissMetrics, 47% of consumers expect a site to load in 2 seconds or less, and 40% will leave if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. This can mean losing a huge chunk of your potential customers before they even hit your landing page!

Luckily, there are plenty of ways to speed up your website. Here are some general tips:

• Images are often a major culprit behind slow loading times. Compress them before uploading and choose the right format (JPEG for photos, PNG for graphics). Using a content delivery network (CDN) to serve images from a server closer to your visitors can also speed things up.
• Combine CSS and JavaScript files, and use image sprites to minimise the number of requests. This reduces the load on your server and speeds up your site.
• Browsers can store static assets (like images, CSS, and JavaScript) locally. Set cache headers to allow visitors’ browsers to keep these files, which reduces load times for repeat visits.
• If your site relies on a database, avoid unnecessary joins, use indexes, and retrieve only the data you need to improve performance.
• Minifying HTML, CSS, and JavaScript reduces file sizes, helping your site load faster. There are plenty of online tools available to help with this process.
• Compression can significantly reduce the size of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. Most web servers support this feature, and enabling it usually requires just a few configuration changes.
• Make sure your server can handle your site’s traffic and is set up correctly.
• If you’re using a slow or unreliable hosting provider, think about upgrading to a more reliable and faster service to improve loading times.

2. Poor mobile responsiveness

Mobile devices have become the primary way people access the internet, with over 58% of global website traffic coming from smartphones and tablets in the first quarter of 2023. This means it’s more important than ever to make your website fully responsive. A website that isn’t optimised for mobile can frustrate users and hurt your search engine rankings in both the short and long term.

To create a mobile-friendly website:

• Start by designing with smaller screens in mind, then adapt your design for larger screens.
• Use responsive design techniques, like CSS media queries, to automatically adjust your website’s layout based on the device’s screen size.
• Use clear and easy-to-tap buttons on forms and implement autofill for common fields.
• Take advantage of mobile-specific features like the accelerometer to create interactive experiences or touch-based interactions like swiping and pinching.
• Test your website on a variety of devices or use browser developer tools to simulate different screen sizes and resolutions. This will help you identify and fix any issues that might arise on smaller screens.

3. Cluttered and confusing design

No one wants to waste time digging through irrelevant pages and confusing, messy layouts. They want to find what they’re looking for the moment they arrive on your site, which is why it’s crucial to keep your website clean, uncluttered, and easy to navigate. Here are some ways you can do this:

• Use the “inverted pyramid” writing style, placing the most crucial information at the top of each page.

• Implement a content hierarchy using headings (H1, H2, H3, etc) to organise information logically, and consider using accordions or tabs for secondary information to keep the main content area focused. This also helps with SEO.

• Keep your main navigation visible and easily accessible on all pages. Consider using a sticky header to keep navigation accessible as users scroll, and make sure your logo links back to the homepage, as this is a common user expectation.

• Use white space effectively, implementing generous margins and padding around content blocks to prevent a cramped feel.

• Limit the number of fonts. Choose a primary font for headings and a secondary font for body text, and use font variations (bold, italic, different sizes) instead of multiple typefaces to create visual hierarchy. If you are using more than one typeface, make sure there’s strong contrast between your font choices.

• Use plain language and avoid jargon or technical terms unless necessary for your audience. Keep sentences and paragraphs short and to the point, and use bullet points or numbered lists to break down complex information into an easy-to-digest format.

4. No calls to action (CTAs)

Finally, a common mistake is not clearly guiding your website visitors towards the action you want them to take. This could be anything from purchasing a product from your online store, booking a consultation, to requesting an online quote.

The best way to guide visitors is through a call to action (CTA), which is any text designed to encourage an immediate response. A CTA is essentially a clear instruction or suggestion that tells potential customers what to do next.

Here are some good ways to use CTAs:

• Your CTAs should be placed where they’re most likely to be noticed and clicked. Key areas include the top of the page, at the end of blog posts, or in the middle of a product page. Think about the natural flow of the user experience – if a visitor is scrolling through a service page, the CTA should appear at the moment they’re most likely to be ready to engage.
• The wording of your CTA should be straightforward and action-driven. Phrases like “Buy Now,” “Get Started,” “Sign Up Today,” or “Get a Free Quote” create urgency and clearly communicate the intended action.
• Your CTA should grab attention. While embedding links in text is fine for blogs or informational pages, on sales or services pages, CTAs should be visually distinct. Use bold, contrasting colours that stand out against the rest of the page, and opt for clear button designs that make it obvious where the visitor needs to click.
• Not all visitors are at the same stage in the buying process. Tailor your CTAs to match where users are in their journey. For example, someone reading an informational blog post might not be ready to “Buy Now” but could be open to “Download a Free Guide” or “Sign Up for Updates.” On a product page, however, “Add to Cart” or “Request a Quote” is more appropriate.
• Instead of focusing solely on what the action is, try to highlight the benefit the user will gain by clicking the CTA. For example, instead of saying “Download,” a more compelling CTA would be “Download Your Free Ebook” or “Get Your Free Guide.” This shifts the focus to what the user stands to gain, making the action more appealing.

Give your business the website it deserves with b4b, Poole and Bournemouth’s leading web designers

Fixing the mistakes above is a great start, but there’s a lot more that goes into great web design. If you’re ready to really take your web design to the next level, b4b are here to make it happen.

Our experienced team can design and develop a site that’s optimised for both search engines and user experience, blending design, development, UX, and support into one powerful package. Whatever your business and whatever your goals, we’ll get your website exactly where it needs to be.

We’re based in Poole but offer our services across Bournemouth, Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, and across much of the UK. Get in touch with us today, and let’s get started!