Your website is usually the first place your customers or potential customers see your brand. But even the most visually appealing website can drive users away from it if key design elements are off. Whether you are a business owner or a designer, knowing what not to do is just as important as following best practices. These five website design mistakes might be hurting your conversions. Here’s how to fix them. Avoid these common pitfalls to improve user experience and boost conversions.
Confusing site structure
If users cannot find what they need quickly, they will leave your website. A confusing site structure leads to frustration and lost opportunities.
Some common confusing site structures include menus with too many options, unclear navigation labels, or a lack of hierarchy. These all contribute to a poor user experience. For example, a site that hides its “Shop All” section under a vague “Explore” menu can lose sales due to an unnecessary number of clicks to navigate.
You can fix this by using intuitive labels like “Home”, “Products”, “About”, and “Contact.” You also want to keep it simple and have a limit of 5 to 7 top-level menu items. Lastly, make sure every important page is accessible in 3 clicks or fewer.
Non-responsive design
Today’s users access websites through their phones, with mobile making up 62.45% of global internet traffic (source). After mobile, users access the internet through their tablets and desktops. So if your website is not responsive, you are losing a large share of mobile users.
A non-responsive website might look great on a laptop but break on a smartphone, causing text to overlap, images to shrink, or buttons to disappear.
This issue can be fixed easily. Always design your website with a mobile-first approach. Test your website on multiple devices and multiple screen sizes. Lastly, prioritize fast loading and thumb-friendly navigation.
Over-the-top typography
Fonts make a huge difference in how your user perceives and reads your website. A font with great style and aesthetic can be difficult to read at times. Mixing too many fonts and too many styles can also make content hard to read. Good typography should support the message and not overshadow it.
For example, using 5 different fonts on one page or placing text over a busy background can confuse visitors. If they cannot read it, they will not stay.
The common design principle is to keep it simple, silly (KISS). Limit your design to two fonts: one for headings and another for body content. Use a legible font size (16px+ for body text), and maintain consistent line spacing and contrast in all your pages.
Low-quality images
Images help you tell your story, but blurry or generic stock photos can hurt your credibility. Low-quality visuals send the message that your brand lacks professionalism. Imagine a law firm using pixelated headshots on their team page. That could instantly lower trust.
Instead, invest in high-resolution, brand-specific images. Compress your images to maintain speed without sacrificing quality. Remember to choose your images with intent, ensuring that they match your brand tone and audience expectations.
Over designing
Sometimes, it is easy to get carried away by how much you want to say or showcase about your brand. Trying to do too much can overwhelm your visitors. Cluttered layouts, excessive animations, or complex interactions get in the way of clear communication. For instance, a homepage with auto-playing videos, pop-ups, and scrolling effects all at once can distract users from the main call to action.
A good design tip to ensure maximum attention from your users is to embrace white space to guide their attention. Use animations sparingly and with purpose. You can start by focusing each page on a single objective. This will help you narrow down your design for each page.
Bonus tip: Random placement of CTAs and forms
Your call-to-action (CTA) buttons and forms should guide users and not surprise them. Random placement breaks the flow and causes confusion. If a user has to scroll up and down to find a contact form, chances are they will give up.
Instead, place CTAs where they naturally fit within content. Keep your forms short, simple, and easy to find. Lastly, to avoid confusion, use consistent language for buttons like “Get Started” or “Book a Demo.”
Conclusion: Keep it simple
Avoiding these website design mistakes is not just about looking good – it is about designing with intent and creating a seamless experience that builds trust and drives action. A clean, responsive, user-friendly website shows customers that you value their time and attention. This is how great design turns visitors into loyal clients.
Looking to get a website audit or redesign your website? Contact us today to get started!