Creating a website that boosts conversions and generates revenue is easier said than done. For many, it remains as a dummy thing or a non-profitable asset similar to a bank’s NPA. They just keep it for the sake of mentioning the URL on their visiting cards or filling out any form online or offline. Why a website fails to make an impact or contribute a business’ success.
If you are looking for website development, with effective B2C & B2B website design, or want an overhaul of an existing site to make it purposeful, this post will help you.
1. Copying Your Competitor
Not all, but many business owners ask their web developers to create a clone of a competitor’s website. Initially, it helps saving time and money, but three risks loom high when you do so. First, copying someone’s website is illegal. The original owners are entitled to take legal actions against you. Second, there could be difference between you and your competitor on basis of expertise, strength and weakness. So, copied website, doesn’t reflect your true business. And, third, copied websites fail to make a strong digital presence. It’s almost impossible get SEO or Google ranking for a copied website as the search engine identifies them quickly.
2. Confusing Website Structure
Tricky navigation, along with jumbling of blocks, buttons, links, search strings and other significant elements make it difficult for users to reach out to the information they want. Users must clearly understand the entire structure of the site and use the menu on each page in the same place. Get a website design wireframe ready before you take it to coding phase. Visit competitor’s websites and do a home-work on identifying the best website design and development trends.
3. Ignoring Style and Naming Convention
Developers, designers, testers and content managers – a website development is a team-work of all. Hence, it’s important to follow some style and naming convention regarding the elements (CSS class names or custom HTML elements) of the website. Otherwise, it would be difficult for the cross-functional team to work on the project and make it success. Standard style and naming convention also helps a future web developer to work on the website, if the need arises. It also contributes to WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), and helps visually challenged users to navigate to your site as their text-to-audio software can read the website’s elements and guide them well.
4. Powerful Content Management System
For the user, there is nothing worse than getting obsolete, irrelevant and badly structured content. Keeping an easy-to-use and powerful content management system (CMS) is not an option, but a necessity. Content managers and publishers should find it easy to post or update content in a way that engages users. Different content formats (textual, infographics, videos, images) need different reflection, and built-in CMS features must complement it. The selection of typography is also important in ensuring user-engagement with the content.
5. Poor Usability
Developing a visually-appealing website is good. It’s easy to do using visual content with vibrant color-combination. However, you should not ignore the true purpose – enabling users to make use of the website.
For example, if have an eCommerce website, make sure that user’s journey from product navigation or search to comparison to purchase is smooth across all devices from mobile to desktop and everything in between.
6. Slow Speed or Performance
If your website page doesn’t load superfast, loads content partially, or its elements do not stay stable on the user’s screen, customers are most likely to quit your site, and move to your competitor’s offering a better speed and user experience. Ask your website developers to adhere to the web development guidelines or standards set off by Google, W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), and WCAG.
7. Missing or Poor Go Back Option
While filling out a form or completing a purchase, customers might want to review their information filled earlier or make some changes to it. Allow them to do so by offering a Back, Modify or Review button.
8. Leaving Off Unused or Junk Elements
Do you keep garbage in your home? Obviously, not. Then why to leave unused themes, templates, plugins, javascripts or codes in your website. Once the development completes, ask your developer to perform a cleaning of the website. It will eliminate render-blocking resources and reduce server response time, which is critical for UX (User-Experience) as it improves speed and stability both.
9. Get Rid of Dummy Elements
Finishing of a website is of paramount importance. Make sure that all web elements including breadcrumb, subscriber button, contact forms, etc. are working. Perform a website audit to find about 404 or non-working pages. Fine tune your website before making it live your audience.
10. Not Keeping a Backup Plugin
What if you accidently make a mistake, the site crashes, or gets hacked. This is where comes the role of your backup plan. Installing a backup plugin is essential for a site before you start working. Backup plugins can restore all information available including posts and pages.
Contact our Maryland Website Design Company for all your website design and WordPress development requirements.