Every website has only one goal: to get conversions. Regardless if you are aiming to make a sale or to get more subscribers or more downloads, it all boils down to one thing – you want your visitors to convert. The problem is, not all companies are getting the results that they want. No matter how much effort they are putting in developing their website or how much energy they are investing to beef up their content, it’s still not enough to full convince their visitors. What could be possibly wrong?
Have you considered evaluating your web design? Your website’s design and aesthetics play a big role in user experience which leads to their decision to convert. Sure, the contents on your website is significant, but if the presentation is not conducive to the online behavior of your target audience, it’s useless. You can never get the message across if the user will feel like he’s looking at a cluttered page.
Luckily, there are only a few web design mistakes that many companies are used to doing – so we can point on those. Interestingly, these habits are very common that many brands are not aware that they are doing it to themselves. So, stop committing website suicide and stop doing these things:
Slow Loading Time
On average, users only wait for about 3 seconds or less before they abandon a website. Why? Simply because online users nowadays are adapted with the fast-paced living, which means that they want to have what they need at the fastest time possible. Now, try to open a browser and access your website, if it’s loading more than 4 minutes then you have some redesigning to do. Do not lose your potential customers because of a 2-second different that we all know can be easily improved.
If you want to make your website’s loading time faster, you can check if you are using too many plugin, if you are excessively using Flash, if you have any broken links, if your site has a bad coding, and if you are using huge file sizes of images.
Vague And Unnoticeable CTAs
Yes, you can be as creative as you want to be, but if your call-to-action (CTA) messages are too vague to understand, then there’s a problem. Also, if the CTAs are not prominent on the layout, you will miss the chance of making the sale. Instead of the traditional CTA or sign up button at the bottom of the page, you can put it on the staple parts of the page like the header or the footer. In that way, they can see it even if they scroll down.
As for the statements, of course, you can go beyond “sign up” or “download here”. You can craft a more creative, more personalised copy to entice the users. Another technique is to choose the CTA button’s color that’s contrasting the page. In that way, it will stand out even from a far.
Unresponsive Websites
Let’s admit it, almost all (if not all) users are on their mobile or other devices aside from computers. The user behavior has drastically changed in the last couple of years. If a user wants to know an information, he doesn’t need to turn on his computer and search from there. All he needs to do is to grab his phone and ask Google. Many users are searching online even on their most intimate, inconvenient scenarios such walking down the street or going to the bathroom.
So, if your website is still non-responsive, you’re sure to be at the end game. You will lose a lot of potential customers if your website is not designed to accommodate all types of visitors and devices. If you want to gain more traffic that can lead to conversion, have a responsive web design.
Navigating The Site Is Confusing
Once a user accessed your website, he should be able to navigate through the entire website easily. Meaning, he needs to see what he wants to see in a few scroll and glances. Avoid having a confusing layout that will confuse them while looking or reading at your site.
Ok, imagine this. If a user doesn’t have the patience to wait for 3-second loading, how much less can he not wait looking for the information that he needs. So, to make it easier for the users, you have to give them what they need right away. Make your pages concise and clear. Don’t make them exert too much effort to complete their desired action.
Poor Color Choices
We understand that businesses have their own brand color and they need to adhere to it. But if you choose colors that doesn’t really look good when combined, then you are missing the chance of converting potential customers. You may want to familiarise yourself with the psychology of color, so you can choose the right color for your website and at the same time lure your audiences.
If you want to have a pure and clean image, you can go for White. If you want a masculine and youthful image, choose Blue. If you want to emphasize something important, then put it in Red. If you’re looking for something emotional and positive, Yellow is the best choice. And if you want to be a little formal and look serious, make it Black. Colors say something to the users in an indirect way. Choose it wisely.
Needless To Say…
Web design is as important as any part of your web development. It’s probably one of the most important, actually. It’s like the packaging of your product. It’s what people see once they click on your page. So, if you want your website to live a longer life, stop doing these habits and save your business’ life.
