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Friend, you can’t avoid making mistakes if you don’t know what they are. And that’s why we’re going over them today on the blog.
We’ve compiled a list of the 9 worst web design mistakes made by creatives. And, of course, how you can avoid them.
Are you making these website design mistakes? Keep on reading to find out!
1. Confusing writing
Creatives like to get, well, creative. But that doesn’t always work in a website design. One of the biggest web design mistakes that creatives make is confusing their readers.
We know you didn’t mean to, you were just trying to be clever with your words. We totally get it! But the reality is your website visitors aren’t going to spend more than a second trying to figure out what you mean. (Seriously, it takes less than a second for someone to form an impression of your website!)
Choose the most accurate words you can. So if you have a blog, call it that. Not “where all my thoughts go.” If you have a contact page, call it that. Not “call me maybe.” There’s a time and place to be cute and clever, and your main website content…. is not it.
2. Lack of accessibility
Sometimes creatives can get a little too creative. Especially when it comes to choosing (and sticking to) a color palette. This can make things on your website quite difficult to read for people who are hard of sight or have a color deficiency.
There are 285 million visually impaired and 300 million color blind people in the world. And you can easily check to see if your website design colors comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for free here.
But there’s also more to it than just checking your color contrast ratio. Click here for more help on assessing the accessibility of your website design.
3. Too much going on
A creative website design shouldn’t be confusing. When we try to convey too many ideas at once, things can get more than a bit overwhelming. And a website visitor that’s overwhelmed is just going to leave.
Also, website designs with tons of content and too much going on are going to take wayyyy too long to load. And page speed is a super important element of a good website design.
The best way to avoid this mistake is to get clear on your brand identity. Stay consistent by nailing down your color palette, font suite, and design style for your visuals. And remember to think of your website design holistically, not as individual components.
4. Non-scannable content
While we love creative writing…. it doesn’t work too well on the internet. Writing content for a website is very different from writing for print materials.
Large blocks of texts are for books, not websites.
When you write for the web, your content should be concise and scannable. That is, if you want people to actually read any of it. Leave out the fluff! And if your point can be made without it, then delete it.
5. Not enough white space
White space is an important aspect of any design. And while some might believe it to just be empty space, it’s anything but!
White space is the intentionally empty space that helps to visually organize the elements on your website. It breaks up large blocks of text and keep things scannable.
Use it wisely and you’ll guide your website visitors to exactly where you want them to look and emphasize what’s most important.
6. Poor navigation
There’s more to a badly designed website than aesthetics. A bad website design will fail on a technical level, too. We see this the most when it comes to website navigation.
When a website design has navigation issues, your visitors won’t be able to find your content. And if they can’t quickly and easily find what they’re looking for, you won’t be able to convert them to buyers.
Optimize your website design for conversions by only including five options or fewer at the top of the page. Because when presented with too many options, most people won’t make one and will leave your website.
Most importantly, don’t forget the mobile view! Make sure your navigation menu is easy to use on all screen sizes.
7. No clear calls to action
Creatives often worry that they’re being too salesy and will leave out one of the most important things they can include on a website: the call to action!
What is a call to action? A call to action (or CTA) tells your website visitors what you want them to do next.
Keep it simple and succinct. But tell your ideal clients exactly what you want them to do. Because if you don’t tell them what to do then they’re just not going to do it.
8. Keep content that doesn’t convert
Just because we pour a whole lotta love and creative energy into our content doesn’t mean it will end up converting into leads or paying clients.
You need to keep track of your website’s performance and make tweaks and changes as necessary. And as much as it might hurt, you gotta trash the content that’s not working for you…. because it’ll hurt you a whole lot more if you hang onto it.
But the only way to know for sure if your web design is helping or hurting your conversions is to track your metrics. So don’t forget to set yourself up for success by hooking your website up to Google Analytics.
9. Forget who your website is for
You’re a creative genius and freaking incredible at what you do!
But your website isn’t about you.
Your website is about your ideal customers. It’s about what you can do for the people you want to work with and to hire you. It’s about what’s in it for them. And yes, this includes the content on your about page, too.
Now that you know the 9 worst web design mistakes creatives make and how to avoid them, you can make sure your website starts working for you, instead of against you.
And if you want to be 100% certain that you’ve avoided these website design mistakes…. you could always work with a professional brand and web designer for creatives. ;)
Click here to apply to work with us now because you deserve a custom branded website that converts your dreamboat clients.