Climate change may not be the only thing producing natural disasters. Poor web design has created some of the largest internet disasters of our time. When it comes to building a website, more often than not it is poor web development that leaves a site lacking the fundamentals and essentials that a visitor needs. Here are a few topics to keep an eye for.
Navigation to Nowhere.
One of the most common elements of poor web design is navigation to nowhere. Having a navigation menu is like building a road. Well-built roads have many exits along the way but have a clear direction in mind. A road that leads to nowhere is a fast way to lose weary travelers. When developing a navigation menu, a good web design team has a clear destination in mind. Being able to lead a visitor down a path can be one of the most important aspects of web development.
Slow Children Playing.
Another cataclysmic disaster is a website with poor performance, aka speed. Waiting endlessly for videos or images to load is a surefire way to lose an audience. Performance is one of the most crucial elements of a functional website, and if you can incorporate speed while developing, a website can be a great stop for a weary traveler. Eliminate potholes and pave the perfect road by increasing the performance of a website. Speed often comes from hosting, and having a professional web design team managing the backend of your site can increase speed, performance, and navigation.
Missing Visuals.
One great picture can often add the value of a thousand words. But missing visuals is an instant way to delegitimize your website. Nothing spells unprofessional like missing images. Think of a website as an online branding presence. Your site is a gateway into who you are and what you stand for. Missing images give the visitor the impression of being disorganized, underfunded, and unprepared.
The good news is this: the right web development team can correct these mistakes and ensure they never happen again.
Unclickable Clickables.
If a website has a link, it better go somewhere. Websites that have missing links or links that lead to nowhere will aggravate a visitor. On the flip side, having too many links that lead everywhere can be a deterrent. The goal is to have a healthy balance.
Keeping that balance comes from maintenance. Having a web design team on your side is always a good idea. Much like a car, websites need continuing maintenance and can increase the performance and longevity of your website.
Call Me to Action or I’ll Never Call You.
While speaking in web jargon, the Call to Action is one of the most important aspects of a site. A Call to Action, or CTA, is what prompts a visitor to click on a link or visit a page. This type of feature is embedded in the language when writing the content of the site.
A site should have clear CTAs; if you require “x” service, we provide “y” solutions; Click Here to speak with a customer service representative today.
Having a web development team behind you will provide the preciseness and direction to call your visitors to action. Window shopping is nice, but without clear CTAs, it’s difficult to get a sale.
Advertise Me Not.
Having a website bombarded with ads and affiliate links can turn a visitor off. Many sites that provide pop-ups littered with advertisements or banner ads can deter a visitor from wanting to engage in your site. Advertisements are not all bad and having some ad work done by a professional web development team can add dollars to your wallet. But polluting a site with more advertisements than CTAs has proven to be a website disaster.
