In the highly competitive online world your business website has just a few seconds to convince visitors that they should spend their money on your goods or services.
With so much as stake, getting it wrong simply isn’t an option. So to help you avoid turning visitors away empty-handed, albeit unwittingly, here we set out the top five cardinal sins of web design.
1. Showing off
Of course you want to point out to visitors just how good your business model is, but there are ways of doing it that won’t alienate your customer base in the process.
According to a recent article in Forbes, self-congratulatory content won’t convince people to make a purchase. In fact, you could actively drive visitors away with this approach!
2. Lack of Contact Information
Scamming is an online fact of life, so it’s particularly important that your business website makes it easy for customers to get in touch.
A clear link on every page should provide visitors with pointers to your business phone numbers, physical address and email addresses at the very least. A contact form and AI chatbot add extra value to visitors, so are worth considering too.
3. Unclear Navigation
The purpose of your website is to guide visitors directly to the products, services or information that they’re searching for. Intuitive navigation is a hugely important part of this, so ensure that your website provides the highest levels of customer satisfaction throughout every page and link.
Great User Experience, or UX, is something that professional web designers excel in. Try Googling companies in your area as a starting point. For example, Googling “website design company Gloucester” will bring up local options, such as https://www.net9design.com, and most designers offer free initial consultations to discuss your requirements.
4. Lack of a Mobile-Friendly Website
In this day and age, when the majority of online searches take place on smartphones and tablets, failure to have a responsive or mobile-friendly website is simply unacceptable. Expect the lack of one to cost you dearly in lost business opportunities.
5. Lack of Credibility
Site certificates, business awards and customer testimonials all serve to confirm that you have a good business ethos. Show prospective customers that you run a trustworthy business and watch conversion rates rise accordingly.
