How poor web design can impact your website
Imagine this, a customer finds your business through social media or a search engine and clicks on your site, great! But instead of being impressed, they’re greeted with a poorly designed, hard-to-navigate, outdated website…not so great.!
Poor web design can drastically impact user experience, resulting in fewer sales, inquiries, and reduced time spent on your site — this prevents your business from reaching its full potential, especially when competitors prioritise web design, making your site look subpar in comparison.
Regular website maintenance and development are essential. Effective web design allows users to easily navigate your site, make purchases, and learn about your business, providing support at every stage of their journey.
Here are 5 top ways that poor web design can impact your website.
1. Poor first impression
First impressions matter, especially online. When a user visits your website for the first time, they quickly form an opinion about your business based on its appearance and usability. A poorly designed site can create a negative first impression, suggesting that your business is unprofessional or out of touch.
Factors such as outdated design, inconsistent branding, and poor-quality images can all contribute to a bad initial reaction. On the other hand, a clean, modern, and visually appealing website conveys professionalism, trustworthiness, and attention to detail. Investing in a high-quality design not only attracts users but also encourages them to stay and explore, increasing the chances of engagement and conversion.
It’s important that your branding is consistent across the board from your website to your social media content — this creates a much smoother experience that helps you connect with your audience and prompt action.
2. Bad user experience
Poor web design can severely harm user experience, making it frustrating and failing to meet expectations. With the availability of user-friendly design tools like Elementor, there’s little excuse for a poorly designed website.
Elements such as slow loading times, cluttered layouts, and unresponsive design can leave visitors frustrated. This negative experience often drives them away to a competitor’s site that offers a smoother, more enjoyable journey. Ensuring a positive user experience should be a top priority, as it directly impacts user satisfaction and loyalty.
Compare your website to a physical store. If customers visit a store that’s cramped, difficult to walk through, and poorly maintained, they’ll be turned off instantly. The same applies to your web design. A well-organised, visually appealing, and easy-to-use website encourages visitors to stay longer, explore more, and eventually convert into customers.
Investing in good web design is crucial for creating a positive user experience, fostering customer loyalty, and ultimately supporting your business growth. Prioritising a user-friendly design not only improves satisfaction but also helps in building a strong, lasting relationship with your audience.
3. Difficult navigation for users
Effective navigation is a cornerstone of good web design. When users struggle to find what they’re looking for, they become frustrated and leave, in fact, research has found that 61.5% of visitors would leave a website due to bad navigation! This often includes confusing menus, a lack of a clear search function, and an unorganised layout, but most of the time these are a simple fix.
Start by organising your menu logically, grouping related items together under clear, descriptive headings. Use a simple and consistent layout so users know where to find things no matter what page they’re on and implement a visible and efficient search function to help users quickly locate specific content.
You might even consider conducting usability testing to gain valuable insights into how real users interact with your site, highlighting areas that need improvement. It involves observing real users as they perform specific tasks on your website to identify any usability issues and areas for improvement. The primary goal of usability testing is to ensure that the website is user-friendly and meets the needs and expectations of its target audience.
Good navigation should be intuitive, guiding users effortlessly through the site and allowing them to find relevant information quickly. Updating and refining your site navigation is key for continuous satisfaction on your site!
4. Reduction in sales conversions
One of the main purposes of having a website, especially for ecommerce businesses, is to generate sales but poor website design can stop shoppers in their tracks before they even get to the checkout page. High bounce rates, low average session duration, and slow loading times can all be signs that your poor web design is reducing your sales, so what can be done about it?
Invest in a clean, modern design that is easy on the eyes and simple to use. Avoid clutter and ensure that your site’s layout is consistent across all pages so browsing becomes an enjoyable experience that’s more likely to lead to a sale. Also, use high-quality images and ensure that all text is legible particularly on mobile devices as designs can often shift or change size which makes online shopping very difficult.
Think about your own experience with online shopping. Would you feel comfortable buying from a website that looked and felt badly designed? Or would it be put off? The design makes a big impact on how products are presented or even someone’s ability to get to the product page! Working with a web design agency (or hiring contractors using Remote’s platform) can help you connect the dots between browsing and making a purchase, finding the best design options for your site.
5. Damaged relationships with search engines
It’s not just your relationship with your users and customers that can be damaged through poor website design, it’s your relationship with search engines too! Search engines use complex algorithms to evaluate the quality of websites, and user experience is a critical factor in these calculations and this is where web design comes in.
A website that performs poorly in terms of usability, accessibility, and loading times among other factors, is less likely to appear at the top of search results. This is because Google prioritises websites that offer a good user experience leading to better rankings in search results. In simple terms, web design is closely related to SEO. Build and maintain a site that’s designed with users in mind and search engines will reward you!
When should I completely redesign my website?
You should consider completely redesigning your website under several circumstances:
- Outdated design: If your website looks old-fashioned or no longer aligns with current design trends, it might be time for a refresh. An outdated design can give the impression that your business is not keeping up with the times.
- Poor user experience: Frequent complaints from users about navigation difficulties, slow load times, or other usability issues are strong indicators that a redesign is necessary to improve the overall user experience.
- Not mobile-friendly: With the increasing use of mobile devices to access the internet, having a mobile-responsive website is crucial. If your website isn’t optimised for mobile, you’re likely losing a significant portion of potential traffic.
- Brand evolution: If your business has undergone a rebranding or a significant change in its services or products, your website should reflect this new direction. A redesign can help communicate your new brand identity effectively.
- Low conversion rates: If you notice a decline in your conversion rates or your website is not meeting its business objectives, it may be time to redesign your site to better align with your marketing goals and user needs.
- Technological advancements: Web technology evolves rapidly. If your website is built on outdated technology, it may not perform well or integrate with modern tools and platforms. A redesign can leverage the latest technologies to enhance functionality and performance.
- SEO performance: If your website is struggling with search engine rankings, a redesign can help implement better SEO practices, improve site structure, and enhance content to attract more organic traffic.
- Security concerns: Older websites are more vulnerable to security breaches. A redesign can help you implement the latest security measures to protect your data and that of your users.
By addressing these issues through a complete redesign, you can ensure your website remains a valuable asset that effectively supports your business goals and provides a positive experience for your users.
What’s the difference between web design and web development?
Web designers create a website’s look and feel, and web developers create the code to make it work. They often work together but their job functions are different.
If you need help with web design you can expect to work on the user experience, the colour scheme, the graphic design, and sometimes even the content of your website. On the other hand, if you’re looking to develop your site, this often involves working on the back end, making your web designer’s ideas come to life, and making the site functional through coding.
What’s the difference between good website design and bad web design?
The difference between a good and bad website design is how effectively it engages users, facilitates navigation, and enhances user experience. Good design captivates visitors with visually appealing aesthetics and clear communication of brand identity, encouraging interaction and prolonged stays on the site.
On the other hand, bad design fails to engage users due to cluttered layouts, outdated aesthetics, confusing navigation, and poor usability, leading to higher bounce rates and diminished user satisfaction. If your users aren’t able to use your website in the right way, for example, making a purchase or finding services pages, this will be revealed in your metrics, indicating that your website design needs some work!
What are some common mistakes in web design?
Common mistakes in web design include cluttered layouts, slow loading times, and poor navigation. Many websites suffer from overly complex designs that overwhelm users with too much information or too many elements on a single page — there’s nothing wrong with being creative but design is as much about how a website operates as it is about how it looks.
Another common mistake is not making your desktop design compatible with mobile devices. Often, designs will shift on mobile screens making it difficult to move around a site and since over 60% of website traffic comes from mobile devices, it’s a mistake best avoided!
How much does it cost to design a website?
The cost of designing a website can vary widely based on how complex your site is or needs to be and the features you require. You can expect to pay several thousand pounds for a good quality website built by a professional web designer or web design agency. The cost may seem steep, but it’s crucial to frame this expense as an investment in your business. Designed properly, a website will deliver a good return on investment for many years to come.
Additionally, ongoing maintenance and updates can add to the overall cost. It’s important to clearly define your needs and budget before starting a web design project to ensure you get the best value for your investment.
If you’re working with a tight budget, there’s no reason why you can’t work on your website yourself or hire affordable freelancers. Either way, setting a budget aside for your website’s growth will positively affect how your business grows, so don’t let poor web design hold you back!
How hard is it to design a website?
Basic websites with straightforward layouts and minimal features can be relatively easy to design using website builders like Squarespace or WordPress, which offer drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-designed templates.
However, designing a more complex, custom website requires a deeper understanding of web design principles, coding languages (such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript), and user experience (UX) best practices. For those without experience, it can be challenging and time-consuming, making it worthwhile to consider hiring a professional web designer or developer to ensure a high-quality result.
Web design is a big part of how successful your website is at attracting and retaining users. It impacts how your audience perceives your brand. Whether you’re a startup or an established business, web design will impact the impression your website gives off and as a result, how your business grows. Make web design a priority and you’ll position yourself in the best way possible.
Author bio: Olivia Batten is a digital copywriter based in Bristol who enjoys writing about a range of topics from e-commerce to lifestyle. When she isn’t writing content, you’ll find her gardening, perusing the shops with a cup of coffee in hand, or hooked on the latest Netflix series.