It is no secret that successful web design is the first step towards successful search engine optimization. But what happens when you are not seeing the results you would like from your website? You’ve spent good money on your web development, and you don’t want it going to waste over silly mistakes. So here are five reasons why your web design may not be working for you — and more importantly — how to fix them.
1. Your homepage is cluttered and slows down your webpage It is important that you do not have a crowded homepage. It will only stop your page from loading in a timely fashion. The goal of a homepage is to grab a customer’s attention, then direct them to what they are looking for. Unfortunately, a full 40% of people will abandon a web page if it takes more than three seconds to load, so take off all of those unnecessary ads, take off the noisy videos, flash software, and consolidate your content.
2. Your page layouts are inconsistent Your content pages should be just like your homepage: quick, concise, and to the point. There is no need to bog down the page with advertisements on the sidebars or the top, and the pictures and content should be laid out in an easy-to-read way. The layouts from each page should all be relatively the same. When in doubt, streamline it out.
3. There are no pictures Digital marketing and web design is increasingly a visual medium. While any website needs text on the page, large dense paragraphs don’t look attractive on the screen. Typically, readers will look for information they can scan quickly, so a relevant picture or infographic is the way to go. However, you can still overdo it with these visual elements. Keep the pictures to about two or three per page.
4. Your web design isn’t formatted for mobile use Everyone nowadays has a mobile device so you will want to ensure that your website works on virtually every screen size. This is a sure-fire way to lose potential customers, but there’s a very easy fix: Hire a web developer or web design to make sure your site is mobile responsive.
5. It looks old While there is no need to change your design every couple of months, it is important that your page has modern features and a modern look. Some trendy design ideas that are big right now include material design, minimalism, circular graphics, and sectioning. Remember: modern website design is all about striking the right balance between creativity and performance, between form and function.
