Common Errors in Website Design

Every modern business owner is aware of the immense benefits offered by having a website for their business. As such, many business owners are investing a lot of money in creating functional websites for their businesses. Unfortunately many of them find themselves quite disappointed with the end result. Despite spending a lot of money of these websites they do not get as much return from the website as they would have expected.

In most cases they feel that they have been cheated by the website designers and developers. However, the reality is that in many cases, the disappointment comes from the website itself and many mistakes that business websites make. Here are ten of the most common mistakes and how to avoid them.

Complex architecture

Flash website architecture is a thing of beauty but it is quite complex and this has the effect of increasing the loading time for the website. A good business website will load quickly regardless of the internet speed the consumer visiting it has. Simple HTML5 and CSS architecture reduces the loading time and ensures the website remains responsive.

Complex page layout

The layout of the webpages is another mistake that businesses commonly make. A complex layout creates a maze which makes it difficult for consumers to find what they are looking for. A complicated layout discourages purchases because the end user finds it hard to get what they seek. Breadcrumbs combined with a site map makes it easier to find items on different pages as well as keep track of where you’ve been.

Mysterious contacts

This is a very common mistake – missing contacts or contacts that are hidden or hard to locate. The website is a marketing tool for the business so contacts should be prominently displayed at the top of every page. This enables consumers to access the business easier.

Bait and Switch

Back-links are an important tool for increasing site visibility. However, a common mistake is what seems to be targeted links leading to general pages. For example, a link seeming to lead to a page where one can buy a specific product leads to the home page or just a general product page. Links need to lead where they indicated they would or else the consumer feels cheated.

Broken links

There is nothing more disappointing than a broken link on a business website. Regardless of whether it is an internal or external link, the link must be working if it is to provide the consumer with value. This irritates the consumer and erodes any goodwill that has been developed by the website itself.

Missing pages

There are certain pages that a business website must have; an about us page, contact us page – especially useful for feedback, a checkout page, and so on. It is a mistake for any business website to lack any of these pages. Furthermore, there must be a register and log in option as well as a secured payment processing page.

Cluttered pages

There is nothing more off-putting and distracting than a cluttered webpage. It makes it impossible to identify the most important things on the page. Scientifically it has been shown that a cluttered page makes it hard to make choices. This means that too many products on one page makes it harder for the customer to make a choice so they may end up not buying.

No recommendations

Similar products suggestions at the bottom of a page make it possible for businesses to increase the purchases made by consumers. Keep in mind that online purchases are usually linked and one purchase will likely lead to others. The webpage for any product should have recommendations for similar products or products that are linked to the ones bought. Failing to take advantage of these will lower the revenue.

No consumer feedback

Consumer feedback is a chance for advertising and marketing yourself. Allowing consumers to provide feedback and rate the products creates social media marketing opportunities for companies. Successful business websites take full advantage of social linkages and leverage these opportunities.

Low bandwidth

By far one of the most disappointing mistakes of business websites is lack of bandwidth on the host server. The consumer tries to access the website and is told unfortunately that they are unable to access the website because the number of requests has exceeded those allowed. This means that the consumer will dump your website and look for an alternative.

These mistakes change the interaction between the business and the consumers to a much less productive and desirable state. Fortunately, these are all mistakes that can be easily remedied by competent business focused website design and development. If a business owner finds that they are facing any of these problems, a redesign of their website would easily fix these problems whilst allowing them to add on features that are useful for example a knowledge database for their products.