Avoiding Common Web Page Design Mistakes in 2024: A Guide for Success

Designing a captivating and user-friendly web page is crucial for engaging visitors and achieving your website's goals. The term web design is normally used to describe the design process relating to the front-end or client-side design of a website including writing mark up. We can all agree that the best websites are designed for both users and search engines. The problem is sometimes the most experienced professionals also make mistakes in web designing. In this article, we'll explore some of the most common pitfalls in web page design and provide practical tips for avoiding them.

1. Poor Navigation

One of the cardinal sins in web design is neglecting intuitive navigation. Complex or unclear navigation menus can frustrate users and lead to high bounce rates. Ensure that your navigation is simple, clear, and accessible from any page on your website. Use descriptive labels and logical hierarchies to guide users effortlessly through your content.

2. Lack of Mobile Optimization

With the majority of web traffic coming from mobile devices, having a website that can display properly on mobile devices is of paramount importance for businesses. Neglecting mobile optimization can alienate a significant portion of your audience and harm your search engine rankings. Ensure that your design is responsive and looks great on all screen sizes, from smartphones to tablets and desktops.

3. Cluttered Layout

A cluttered layout overwhelms visitors and detracts from the overall user experience. Avoid cramming too much information onto a single page. Embrace white space to create breathing room and prioritize content hierarchy. Each element should have a clear purpose and contribute to the user's journey. Remember, less is often more in web design.

4. Slow Loading Times

If you thought people were impatient offline, you are not actually incorrect; even they’re more so online - thanks to handy tools called the “back” button. They don’t like waiting for anything and expect your website to load fast. Now, when we say fast, that doesn’t mean 15 or 20 seconds; it relates under 5 seconds. Today, Most of the people expect that a web page could load in 2-3 seconds or less.

5. Free Website Builder

Most of the companies offer drag-and-drop website building apps that claim to allow users to launch a new website in minutes. The problem with these types of services is that each design faces adds with dozens of lines to the back-end code and makes the site load slower. Over time, this can lead to serious performance issues and countless errors. If budget restrictions are a problem, then consider purchasing a premium theme that already has the look and style of your ideal website. There are thousands of talented developers that can lightly and cost-effectively customize a theme.

6. Missing Design Elements

Some businesses are also guilty of either going completely overboard or flat-out ignoring the design elements of their website. Too many customizations can lead to the same page loading issues, plus it can distract the reader from the actual content. Minimalist websites with very few design features can also be a turn-off to visitors though, so finding a balance is essential. The concept also applies to photos, videos, banners, and other types of graphics as well. For most websites, the entire page should be designed to lead the consumer’s eye towards making a favorable action such as - opting in, requesting information, making a purchase, etc.

7. Inconsistent Branding

Consistency is key to establishing a strong brand identity. Inconsistent branding elements, such as mismatched colors, fonts, or imagery, can confuse visitors and undermine your brand's credibility. Develop a cohesive style guide that outlines your brand's visual elements and adhere to it consistently across all pages and touchpoints.

8. Ignoring Accessibility

Accessibility is not just a legal requirement; it's a moral imperative. Failing to consider accessibility features can alienate users with disabilities and limit your audience reach. Ensure that your design is inclusive by providing alternative text for images, implementing keyboard navigation, and adhering to WCAG guidelines for color contrast and text legibility.

9. Large Images & Media Files

Beautiful imagery makes your website look amazing. But you need to be careful with the size of your media files. Including large images and videos can negatively impact your site speed, which may result in lower rankings. Google rewards pages that load quickly.

10. Text in Images

This mistake is widespread. Instead of including a text layer over an image, many website designers just include text into an image. At the starting of page load, search engines can’t "see" the image like people can. Therefore, search engines can't "read" the text on the image. Essentially, it’s the equivalent to not including the text at all.

11. Bad use of Color & Contrast

It’s impossible to give instant advice to this issue. Each designer should know color theory and be able to apply its rules. If you can’t fully rely on your knowledge of color and contrast, there are plenty of online tools that will help you choose the optimal match.

12. Lots of Links

That’s the first step down a slippery slope to a bad user experience. It welcomes a user to leave your site, but there is no “back” button for them to return to. Opening multiple browser windows at a time not only makes navigation pains especially on a mobile device, but also they eat up bandwidth - which can slow someone’s device and basically ruin their whole online experience.

13. Inappropriate use of Headers, Sidebars, and Footers

People often assume that heading areas, footers, and sidebars are designed exclusively for advertisements. However, it’s a big red flag when a webpage displays a high number of ads and banners, especially when there’s little content to go along with it. These areas can be much better utilized for additional navigation within the site. Now, that’s not to say that it’s wrong to place a banner across the top of the page advertising a special promotion. This only means to remember the importance of design and balance throughout the site.

14. Website Popups

Recently Google warned websites to avoid using intrusive interstitials and pop-ups. User experience, especially on mobile devices, is quite important to Google. When creative or elaborate pop-ups appear before your visitors can access the main content, it can negatively impact UX and, therefore, your SEO.

15. Does not have H1 or H2 Tags

When a website has walls of text and cannot be skimmed easily for interesting content, it’s a user experience killer. Your user will end up and leaving your site quickly. One of the factors for ranking higher in search engines is by having helpful markup for bots to read and decipher what a page is about. If a bot can’t determine what your page is about, it will be hidden somewhere in the no-mans-land of the double-digit search result pages.

16. No HTTPS

Not having a secure (HTTPS) website is like waving a red flag for both search engines and cautious website visitors. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have an e-commerce site. If you ask for any personal information - from email and phone number to first and last name - your site needs to be secured. If not, Google and other search engines will push your website further down in the search results and limit your online visibility.

17. Broken & Poorly Optimized Pages

There's nothing worse than clicking a link and showing "Page Not Found", especially when it comes to a product or landing page. In other cases, the page may still exist but not display properly due to a site conflict or a broken plugin. Some websites also lose potential conversions by neglecting their product descriptions and failing to provide enough information. Any of these mistakes can have a huge impact on a business’s bottom line. The way to avoid these issues is to actively have eyes on your website - whether it’s an engineer, a QA specialist, or through direct feedback from customers. There are tools that can assist in locating and solving some of these issues, but it still requires a hands-on approach with a system in place for diligent bug reporting and eliminating problems.

18. Overlooking SEO Considerations

Effective web design goes hand in hand with search engine optimization (SEO). Ignoring SEO best practices, such as optimizing meta tags, using descriptive URLs, and implementing schema markup, can hinder your site's visibility in search results. Incorporate SEO considerations into your design process to enhance your site's discoverability and organic traffic.

Conclusion

By steering clear of these common mistakes, you can create web pages that captivate visitors, drive engagement, and achieve your business objectives. Keep user experience at the forefront of your design decisions, and continuously iterate and refine your approach based on user feedback and analytics data. With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to excellence, you can elevate your web page design to new heights of success.