In 2020, web design has the power to make or break the impression you leave as a business. Bad web design will not attract your ideal customers, no matter how good your products or services are.

In fact, when a user lands on your website, you have around eight seconds to impress them. If you don’t, they’ll click away and never come back. If your website doesn’t bring in any new customers or leads, it might be time to change the design. 

Here are the six most common mistakes with designs you should avoid as well as ways to fix them

1. It’s Made on a Free Platform

Modern businesses need modern websites, no matter if they sell online or not. However, many businesses make the mistake of building a website on a free platform, without a personalized domain name.

Free web builders don’t offer customization and will push tons of unrelated ads on your website in order to let you use their services. If you want a professional site but don’t have the time or skills to build one from scratch, consider hiring website design services that’ll do the work for you.

2. It’s Slow and Lagging

One of the most common mistakes with web design is a slow, lagging website. Search engines do not rank slow websites, so fast loading time should be at the top of your priority list.

You can improve the loading time by optimizing images, removing unnecessary videos and graphics, and upgrading to a better server.

3. It’s Not Mobile-Friendly

With over 52 percent of all website traffic coming from mobile devices, it’s no wonder why you need to build a mobile-friendly website. If your website is not optimized for mobile devices, search engines will push it lower on the result pages.

4. It’s Outdated

If your website design is from the early 2000s, it’s time for an upgrade. Both users and search engines prefer modern, sleek, light web design, so invest in a good website theme or hire a professional web designer. Flashing images, auto-playing music, and videos, as well as a ton of popups, are a no-no in modern websites.

5. It’s Not User-Friendly

Your web design should be user-friendly, easy to navigate, and easy on the eye. All menus should be easy to find, all links should be working, images should load instantly, and the user must be able to find everything they need without jumping through hoops.

User-friendly design also means having the website available in different languages. For instance, if you want to translate your website to Portuguese, skip Google translate. Instead, hire a professional portuguese translator who will provide an accurate translation of your entire website content.

6. There’s No Contact Information

If your website doesn’t have a contact page and your contact information displayed visibly, this is a red flag for visitors. If there is no way to reach you, why would they do business with you?

Make sure you display your business address, phone number, email address, and social media channels on your homepage. This way, you’re building trust with customers and sending the message that you’re a serious business.

Are You Making These Mistakes With Designs?

Whether you’re building a website for the first time of you already have one for your business, you should try to avoid these mistakes with designs.

Want more tech and website tips? Check out some of the other articles we’ve written on these topics and stay tuned for more of the latest industry news and trends.