Design is creative and visual medium. If done right, it should be transparent and shouldn’t make a user think. Moreover, it needs to deliver a message. If ineffective, it can cost you conversion. There is no point in just designing a website without listening to the echoes.
According to the Nielsen Norman Group study, most users stick around on websites less than 59 seconds. In case your website can’t fulfil that, it means that you quickly lose your visitors. In the quest to enhance the visual aesthetic value of a website, it can be easy to kill conversions.
To help you better keep your user engaged and interested, take care of these 8 web design mistakes that will cost you conversion if you aren’t careful.
#1 Slow Loading Time
Research shows that 79 percent of online visitors will leave a website with no reason to return if it loads more than 2 seconds. In the informative-overloaded-age, when we are bombarded form every direction, it’s absolutely inexcusable to make users wait.
Cutting down the loading time is closely tied to hosting. So, make sure you invest in a good hosting provider. In addition, take care of other factors that can cost you conversion like the size of your images and the quality of your videos. All in all, the amount of media that your website contains can add to the loading time.
#2 Too Many Ads
Indeed, with the initial purpose to get more subscribers or to make it big in sales, it doesn’t mean that you should bombard your users with multiple ads. Thus, it will not only get your conversion rates to skyrocket, but also will damage your UX and annoy your visitors.
If you don’t want your website to appear as one big advertisement platform, take care of your ads. Use it conservatively and in limited number. Next, reduce the prominence and size of your ad. Finally, highlight relevant content and place it appropriate to its purpose.
#3 Obsolete Design
Having an obsolete website can cost you more than you think. It might surprise you but it’s better not to have a website at all.
A modern website design creates positive first impressions. Your website is your shop window, so make sure it doesn’t look as it was built in the ancient times. Besides, with tons of beautiful WordPress themes, it’s simply inexcusable not to have a website that catches an eye.
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Stop chasing design trends as they come and go, while your website continues to look outdated in the nearest future. Remember, nobody likes a page that seems like has not been updated in five years. An outdated website design can cost you conversions and make your users move on to your competitors.
Mobile optimization can help swing user’s decision in your favor. Make sure your website adjusts correctly on all last-generation devices in a way that is legible, compelling and easy to navigate. Mobile-friendly WordPress themes can be your best scenario.
#4 No Call to Action
Are you sure that your visitors have a clear idea of what your website is about? Do they know what your offering are? Moreover, do they know where to go to follow your lead?
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Even if your website looks awesomely, without a prominent call to action you can’t improve conversion rates. All in all, according to a survey, 70 percent of small business websites lack a call to action on their homepage.
Believe it or not, but the fact is true, your users will stay on your site as long as they know what your website wants them to do. Don’t miss out an opportunity to inform your users about benefits your products or offerings can give them.
#5 Bad Structure
Having bad structure means that your website is confusing. Your users like when they can find the information they need with ease. Otherwise, they will leave your website with no point to return.
If you want to increase conversions, poor site navigation is a big no-no. That’s where prominent call to action buttons come into play to make your website effectively navigable.
Review the structure of your website and determine the most important parts you need to link to. And don’t forget about including a search box. Believe it or not, but people search a lot.
#6 Bad First Impression
Seven seconds is what you have to make a first impression with any new business acquaintance. When it comes to a website, you have less than 0.2 seconds, according to the Missouri University of Science and Technology study.
As Google claims, users form an opinion about a website in less than a second – 17 ms. The key to successful website and high conversion rate is to state your main value proposition in a short time window. According to a study, first impressions are 94 percent design-related.
Unlike a common saying goes ‘don’t judge book by its cover’, websites are subject to an extreme level of snap judgements that immediately influence its conversion rate. Quite frankly, with multiple search results that fit the needs of users, the level of tolerance to bad website hits rock bottom. So, make sure your website is ready to a swift and ruthless judge.
#7 Stock Images
Images are great. Moreover, according to a survey, users spend an average of 5.94 seconds looking at a website’s main image. So, it’s extremely important to have an image that can effectively reinforce your brand. Now, if you don’t want to have a bad reputation for your website, forget about stock images.
It’s all the matter of choice. With a myriad of stock images, you risk having your website contain the same images as another one. It makes sense to invest in professional images as long as you plan increase conversions and leads.
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In case you still use stock images, find alternative resources with modern, less tacky and offbeat images. Take time to modify them before adding them on your site. Think of your images as the pushing button that encourage your visitors toward the conversion goal. The more unique are your images, the better the reputation and conversion rate of your site.
#8 Choice Overload
Too many choices is a problem that can paralyze. As a result, choice overload leads to no choice at all. There’s a paradox: contrary to popular belief, too many choices can be bad for sales. So, instead of giving your users a buffet of options to choose from, limit them.
Wrapping Up
Most of us are not professional web designers, yet nothing worthwhile comes without knowledge. Moving from poor to reach. Slow to effective, isn’t simple and requires effort. Yet, it you find that your website has any of these 8 web design mistakes that will cost you conversion, it’s time to roll up your sleeves.
You want conversions, so change the way users perceive your website. Don’t let any of these mistakes ruin your conversions right off the bat. Good luck!