The Top 7 Biggest Mistakes When Building a Website

Having a unique and creative website that draws users in is no longer an option. In 2019 websites must have these features. Boring and old-style sites are no longer feasible because they do not draw attention or make users want to explore further. Visitors should have a unique experience. A functional and clean website is essential and will often make or break your customer’s experience.

A good website will bring in so many more visitors and will rank better in search engines for many different reasons. Plus, a website can be both great-looking and functional. These days, you do not need to sacrifice one for the other because both are very doable.

The average person will make a judgement on your website in about seven seconds. So, in that short amount of time, your site will need to get and hold their attention. If you fail to gain their attention in that time, more often than not the user will lose interest and move on.

Thankfully this article is here to save you and teach you what not to do when building a website. We’ll help you avoid some common mistakes and the subtle issues that you may not have thought about. Even if your website is already built, take a look to see if you may have made any of these mistakes. It’s not too late to make a change.

Too Much Information at Once

We have all visited a website and have been completely overwhelmed with information. When a website presents too much at once, users will be distracted from what you want to communicate. Inundating users with too much information, text or pictures will leave them confused.

Try to have your website segmented appropriately and have a section for everything. This will avoid any confusion and will make your visitors happy.

Not Enough Going On

This mistake is the complete opposite of the first one. When a website has little-to-no information displayed, it can also leave the user confused. Minimalism is big right now, but there is an appropriate limit to the trend.

When visitors come to your site, they should be presented with what is necessary for them to know. Users want to know who you are and what you can offer them. Then, after viewing this, they will further explore your website. That’s when you present them with more detailed information about what you do.

Not Mobile Friendly

We have all had the experience of trying to browse a website on our phone that is not properly optimized for small screens. This is very frustrating and headache-inducing because, in 2019, it is expected that your website will be mobile friendly.

50% of people said that they are less likely to use a website if it is not mobile friendly. Even if these users like your business, they will opt to use a competitor’s site that is mobile friendly. Avoid this mistake, because not only will it frustrate users it will drive them to right to your competition’s door.

Making Information Too Difficult to Find

When important information is difficult to find, users will be perplexed. A website should have important information like hours, locations, frequently asked questions, phone number, email and about sections in easy-to-find spots.

Placing this information near the search bar or header of your website makes it easy to locate. Burying these details is a major mistake that you’ll want to avoid.

Pop-ups and Over Use of Distractions

Everybody hates visiting a website for the first time and being blasted with popup after popup. Asking users to subscribe to your newsletter, create an account, disable their ad blocker, and many more things is an immediate turn off for users.

Google recently warned users to avoid these types of pop ups and advertisements due to their intrusiveness. This is a very common mistake. You can still do these things on your website, but do it sparingly and make sure it does not affect the user experience negatively.

Using Too Many Sliders

Slideshows can be an efficient way to present information to users, but ultimately, they should be avoided. They tend to mess with the user’s attention. For example, someone may be reading the information on one slide and then suddenly it advances to the next one.

This removes the control from your website visitors. Users should always be in control of what they are doing. Your website is not a middle school history presentation, so avoid the making the slideshow mistake on your website.

Website Speed

A speedy website is very important. As I mentioned above, you have about seven seconds to draw the user’s attention. If your webpage does not load quickly within those seven seconds, then you will probably lose a visitor or potential customer.

Some things you cannot control when it comes to performance, such as the user’s internet speed and device used. But what you can control is simple. Overloading your homepage with content and long videos will affect the loading speed. Avoid this mistake by keeping it simple when building your website.

It’s All About the User

Building a great website may seem like a daunting task. As we’ve seen, there are a lot of potential mistakes for designers to make.

However, when you keep users in mind, you’ll know that you’re on the right path. Ensure that your site is easy to use, accessible and mobile friendly. That’s the best way to position yourself for success.