Websites are an essential marketing tool for businesses. Done right, they help people discover your company, drive sales, and make your business look authentic and professional. But if your website is poorly designed, hard to navigate, or missing key information, it quickly becomes a headache for you and your customers alike.
Here are 10 common website mistakes businesses make, and how to avoid them.
1. Poor or Inconsistent layout
Your website’s general layout should stay consistent throughout. Small variations between pages are fine, but it shouldn’t feel like users have landed on a completely different site. Keep links to important pages in the same place, and make sure your text stays consistently spaced, sized, and in the same font.
Text colours should be easy to read and consistent site-wide too.
2. Too much information on one page
Large blocks of text are hard to read, and users will usually skip past them or lose interest, missing important information along the way. Complete information is great, but too much text makes a page feel crowded and poorly planned. Frustrated users will simply go looking for answers elsewhere, and you’ll lose potential customers in the process.
3. Not enough on one page
On the flip side, pages shouldn’t feel too sparse either. Striking the right balance between text, images, and blank space matters. A page that feels too empty can make your business look inexperienced or under-prepared.
4. Difficult to navigate
Navigation should be simple and intuitive. If users have to jump through hoops to find what they’re looking for, they’ll assume your site is poorly designed and unprofessional, and they’ll likely leave out of frustration.
Keep your navigation intuitive, with links grouped in one place and pointing to genuinely relevant pages. Check that every link actually works too, broken links make a site feel outdated fast.
5. No clear call to action
Your call to action should have one clear goal, whether that’s prompting a purchase, directing people to your social media, or getting them to sign up for your mailing list. Keep it clear and consistent, otherwise it won’t do its job.
6. Low-quality, irrelevant or unattractive images
Images can make your site feel more authentic and professional, but they shouldn’t be added just for the sake of it. Think carefully about image choice, size, and placement. Stick to high-quality images, since pixelated or blurry ones can quickly damage how users perceive your site.
7. Lack of contact information
Include a contact page that’s easy to find and kept up to date, an email address, phone number, physical address, PO box, or contact form all work well here.
8. Not linking to your social media
Social media is another powerful marketing tool in its own right. A strong social profile helps establish your business as legitimate and authoritative, and gives users an easy way to learn more about you. Skip linking to your Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, and growing your following becomes a lot harder.
9. Too many ads
Advertising can be a solid income stream for website owners, but overdo it and you’ll drive visitors away instead. Constant flashing ads frustrate people fast, and they make a site feel untrustworthy, pop-ups especially.
10. Not implementing an SEO strategy
You could have a beautifully designed site with simple navigation, quality text and images, and the perfect balance of ads and information, and still see none of it pay off if SEO isn’t part of the plan.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the process of driving more website traffic by improving where your site ranks on search results pages, using keywords, meta descriptions, and links. It’s worth building into your plan from day one, rather than bolting it on as an afterthought.
Avoiding these 10 common website mistakes will help your business reach its full potential.
Not sure what’s next for your website?
Contact OMDIGI Group for digital marketing assistance that will boost your brand.
