Website Mistakes to Avoid

Website Mistakes to Avoid

Your website is one of the most important aspects of your business and your brand as a whole. On many occasions, it may be you first impression to a large number of potential customers. Ask yourself this: “Are my online users getting the most out of their online experience?” We have compiled a list of many website features and flaws that may be hurting your business’ brand and user experience.

Your website does not clearly and quickly tell a user what your company does and why they should choose you.

This is the biggest offender. When someone visits your website, they need to know who you are and what you can do for them. Users form an opinion in .05 seconds, so if your website doesn’t convey that message, they’re going to hit the back button, leaving you behind. To make your business clear to potential consumers, at the least, you need to have your products/services in clear view along with reasons why your business should be trusted, like awards and testimonials.

Your website is not mobile responsive.

A mobile-friendly website matters. This is one of the most common web design mistakes, which needs to be solved ASAP. More and more people are using their smartphones to access websites on a daily basis. If these potential customers have a bad experience with your website on their mobile phone, they are bound to find a business with an easy-to-use website when looking for information or purchasing a product.

Your website takes too long to load.

In today’s world, people are more impatient than ever. Daily lives revolve around instant satisfaction, and no one has time to wait for a website to load, especially when they’re are hundreds of businesses out there that offer the same exact thing. It is expected that your website loads within 3 seconds. Open your website on your mobile device or desktop computer… does your website meet the quick-loading standards?

Your website’s fonts are not reader-friendly.

It’s not ideal for users to be squinting to read the text on your website. One of the most common website mistakes is it’s difficulty to read. A good rule of thumb is to ensure all body text is above 14px and in a Sans Serif font, making it more reader-friendly across multiple devices.

Your website has too many links that open in a new browser.

Nothing is worse than welcoming a user to leave your website through the opening of new browsers. When they need to open a new page on your website, make sure they have a “back” button available so they can easily return to your site. Not only is having multiple browsers open a big pain for users, especially ones on a mobile device, but it also uses up bandwidth, which can cause their device to slow down, leading to a horrible online experience.

Your social icons are at the top of your website.

Another very common problem, which once again welcomes users to leave your website immediately. Once they reach your social pages, there’s a good chance they won’t be back to your website anytime soon. Do yourself a favor and place your social icons on the side, on the bottom, or in the footer of your website.

Your website is hiding things.

Make sure your website’s menu is easy to locate and read for desktop users. Mobile menus are perfect for use on a mobile device, but if potential customers have a hard time finding your menu on desktop, they’re going to have a hard time navigating around your website and finding what they’re looking for. Make it easier to navigate by using text links for your menu on a desktop device so users know the options they have.

Your website has links and buttons that are too small to click.

There’s a big problem if your website’s buttons are only “mouse” friendly. You need to think about the bigger picture. Your links and buttons need to be big enough for fingers to click them when being accessed on a mobile device. Take into account that over 60% of traffic is from mobile devices, so you must ensure that users can access the desired page or action on your website through large buttons and links.

Your website does not contain H1 headings and H2 subheadings.

You need to make sure your website catches the user’s eye by using attention-getting fonts and colors. Most people skim the headlines of a website to figure out if the website contains what they are looking for; so if they have nothing to skim, they’re most likely to leave your website instead of reading multiple lines of text before finding out their answer. Not only are headlines and sub-headlines important for the user experience, but they also play a huge role in SEO. Having these distinguishing fonts and colors helps bots determine what your page is about, leading them to pull your site for a user’s search results.

Your contact information is hard to find or access on your website.

The end goal for the user experience on your website is creating a conversion or having the user get in contact with your business. If they cannot find your phone number, email, address, or fill out a contact form easily on your website, they will be become very frustrated and leave your website in the dust. Ensure that your contact information is on your home page or on a dedicated Contact Us page.

Your website is not secure (https).

Not having a secure website is like waving a red flag for both website visitors and search engines, letting them know you’re a possible threat. Even if your website isn’t an eCommerce site, if you ask for any type of personal information, then your website needs to be secured. Not having a secure site will also hurt you on Google and other search engines by pushing your website further down in the search results. No body has time for that!

Can you relate to these big mistakes? If your website is victim to any of these, it’s time to give TechKnow Solutions a call at 618-526-1600 to help ensure that you’re getting the most out of your website.