17 Common Web Design Flaws That Will Kill Your Website Engagement

What Are Common Web Design Flaws?

Are you just starting on a website redesign project, making some website updates, or getting a new website for your business? In that case, you need to be aware of the following common web design flaws. Many companies have sites that do little to attract their ideal target audience. Don’t let that happen to you! Common web design flaws will have a direct impact on your business.

Simply put, common web design flaws either prevent users from accessing your site or provide such a bad first impression that potential consumers would instead go somewhere else. By hiring a professional web design agency, you can usually avoid these common web design flaws. But if you designed your site or hired an amateur web designer, please check for any shortcomings on your website.

17 Common Web Design Flaws to Avoid!

Not Having a Mobile-First Website

Not being mobile-first is the most serious of our common web design flaws. In 2020 the majority of your online visitors will use a mobile device at least once while surfing your website. If your website does not provide an excellent mobile experience, your potential customers will find one that does. Plus, not having a mobile-friendly site means your site will not keep up with Google’s mobile algorithm changes.

Not Cross-Browser or Device Compatible

Another one of our common web design flaws is only testing your website on one browser. On the Internet, not everything will look and work the same on all browsers and devices. At the very least, you need to make sure that your website is rendering correctly in the latest versions of major browsers such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Internet Explorer. You can use this browser emulator to check your site if you don’t have access to all of them.

You also need to make sure that your business website displays correctly across the most common mobile devices. Here is an excellent tool for checking how your site performs across various devices, from smartphones to tablets. Testing will help you avoid common web design flaws on a variety of mobile devices.

Not Focusing on Mobile Users

In 2020 you must focus on mobile consumers. Most consumers will use a mobile device to access your site at least once during their conversion journeys. Mobile-friendly website elements include breaking up content into bite-size chunks, using images and lists to facilitate content scanning, and having size-appropriate click targets on mobile devices.

Not Having an SSL Certificate

Not having a secure website is like waving a red flag for both search engines and cautious website visitors. And no, it doesn’t matter if you don’t have an e-commerce site. If you ask for any personal information, from email and phone number to first and last name, your site needs to be secured. If not, Google (and other search engines) will push your website further down in the search results and limit your online visibility.

Slow Loading Pages

Modern and mobile consumers are ever more impatient. They don’t like waiting for anything and expect your website to load fast. That does not mean under 10 seconds, or even under 5 seconds. Forty-seven percent of users expect a web page to load in 3 seconds or less, and if they’re browsing on a mobile phone, that percentage jumps to 53 percent. Therefore improving your page load speed is essential.

Inconsistent Branding

Consistency is essential if you want to provide your website visitors with a trustworthy browsing experience. Establish a consistent brand and maintain it across everything you do. When people arrive on one of your landing pages, blogs, etc. it should look like it belongs to your site and company. This consistency helps build trust, credibility, and a sense of professionalism. 

Ignoring the Journey of Conversion

You may be ready to sell the moment a visitor arrives on your website. But very few visitors will be prepared to buy at this stage. They are beginning their journey of conversion; the natural research process a potential buyer goes through leads to a purchase. If you jump straight to closing the sale, you will be ignoring the needs of up to 96% of your audience. 

No Clear Value Proposition

Many websites miss the point right from the start. Within seconds of landing on your site, your visitors should understand what product or service you are offering, why your product or service is better than your competitor, and why they should use your product or service. To do that you need a clear value proposition, above the fold of your home page.

No Above the Fold Content

Website visitors come to your website to get information, buy a product, or otherwise interact with your business. That means you need to tell them what to do. Many “cool” websites fail in that regard. You know what I mean; beautifully designed sites with stunning images, and absolutely no above the fold content. And that makes it one of our common web design flaws. The above the fold section must contain more than hero images and CTA buttons. Add at least some context so visitors can figure out what your site is all about.

Not Appealing to Your Target Audience

One of the biggest mistakes that people can make is confusing branding or a lack of branding altogether. By not focusing on your target consumers, you will risk losing their interest and potential business. Instead, you must focus on attracting the right visitors to your site, who want your offering. You must attract and engage viewers who will end up signing up for your email list, following you on social media, sharing your content, and, hopefully, purchasing your product or service.

Too Many Buzzwords

If you want your website to appear relevant without alienating your target audience, avoid using buzzwords or industry jargon. You may think industry terms and trends make you look informed and up to date. But by using words too frequently, they lose all meaning. Buzzwords or industry jargon add no value or credibility to your content. Instead, use words that your target audience uses and understands.

Using Pop-Ups

Easily one of the most annoying of our common web design flaws is the use of pop-ups on your site. And we are not alone. According to Hubspot, 73% of website users dislike pop up adds. However, Google has also banned the use of interstitial pop-ups on mobile devices. Our recommendation is not to use pop-ups at all. If you do want to use them be sure to minimize the effect of disrupting the user experience of your site visitors.

Too Many Messages

We’ve all landed on a site where we simply don’t know where to click first. You might have come to buy one product, but were instantly disoriented by an array of buttons, promotions, and obstacles in your way. Like a physical store that won’t stop bombarding you with salespeople and distracting advertisements, a website without a focus is distracting and frustrating to your visitors.

Too Little Content

Having too little content is the opposite of too many messages. Content is the information that exists about your business or brand. It includes everything from written text to videos. The copy on your website is valuable because it helps you rank for your top keywords. Good content can help your website gain links, rank higher on search engine results pages, educate your audience, and drive engagement. Start by updating your homepage, and then work your way to the other essential pages on your site. Add high quality written content, videos, and photos to engage visitors.

Having a Splash Page

Years ago, having a splash or intro page for your website seemed pretty cool. It gave visitors a little teaser of things to come. In 2020 this is the worst thing that you can have on your website. Not only does it slow down your website, but it also prevents visitors from accessing your business info. Eliminate this common web design flaw and reconsider having a splash page for your site.

Font Sizes That Are Too Small

One of the most common web design flaws is text content that’s too difficult to read. Body text should be above 14px, and all body copy should be in a Sans Serif font, so it’s more compatible and reader-friendly across device types and at small sizes. If you have to squint to read your website’s text on a mobile device, it’s time to discuss this with your web designer.

Buttons That Are Too Small

Have you ever tried to click around on a mobile website, but every button you clicked was so small that the page you ended up on was pretty much a crapshoot? Buttons and links created as clickable “mouse” friendly links are not intended for human fingers. With mobile traffic on the rise, your links and buttons must meet the expectations of mobile users.

Eliminating Common Web Design Flaws

Now that you know what they are, you can check your business website for common web design flaws. If you recently redesigned your site or got a brand new site for your business, you should be good. The most common web design flaws we find on new sites are pop-ups or insufficient above the fold content. Both of those are relatively easy to fix.

Older websites tend to contain more common web design flaws. How you can go about fixing them depends on several factors. They include the amount of time since your last redesign, the number of shortcomings, and the objectives of your business website.

If you only have a few common web design flaws, a simple website update will most likely correct them all. But if you have serious web development issues, or if you made most or all of these common web design flaws on your site, getting a new website will be the most time and cost-effective option for you. We are here to help.

We Fix Common Web Design Flaws!

Here at PixoLabo, we offer a full range of mobile-first business website consulting and design services, including mobile-first web design and development, e-commerce solutions, search engine optimization, brand strategy, and design, and business website hosting and maintenance.

Did You Eliminate any Flaws on Your Website?

Did you have any common web design flaws on your site? If so, how did you eliminate them? Did fixing these flaws improve your online engagement and conversions? Or did you have other problems with your business website design? Please feel free to comment below so our audience can benefit as well and grab our feed, so you don’t miss our next post! And feel free to share our post with your audience!

Thank you! We appreciate your help to end bad business websites, one pixel at a time!

By Gregor Schmidt
Co-Founder / CXO
@gregorinsendai