Top 10 things to avoid to get the best site in 2021

While building a website, curating the best user experience (UX), perfecting your brand and reaching your target audience, you will no doubt come up with endless advice and resource on what to include in your web design. You will come across style and layout tips, hacks on how to get free marketing, why you should include a blog, and which website building platform is the best. These are all extremely useful things to consider when creating the best possible web page, but something else to consider is what to avoid. Certain corners seem to be worth cutting, and adding certain elements may seem like a good idea, but websites need to be both simple and effective. You want to edit the right places and spend a lot of time on others to find the perfect balance. Below are 10 things to avoid having on your site to improve your business.

1. Avoid slack safety

As a business owner or even just someone with a website, you want to make sure that whoever visits your website is sure to be there. Having an SSL certificate ensures the security of your customers and clients. This is especially important for companies that request personal information, such as an email or any online payment. You are responsible for what happens on your site, make sure it is secure! If you visit websites and wonder if they are secure, a quick way to tell them is that their address bar reads “https” as opposed to “http”.

Restrict pop-ups

Although pop-ups have their place in web design, a good rule of thumb for using them is less more! Pop-ups can derail a browser session, affect a good UX and even cause someone to leave your site. One pop-up to consider is landing page pop-up, it forces users to interact with pop-ups before accessing the rest of the website, and often offers customers access to exclusive content, promotions or other way tells them about sales and new products and services.

Avoid vague search tools

Make sure you have well-defined headlines and other search tools on your site, especially if you have a lot of content. Landing on a site and immediately having trouble accessing the information you are looking for is something to be avoided at all costs. When building your website, include what you would like to see if you were a client. If your business is service-based, make sure the services are visible within seconds of being on the page. If you sell products, consider having a search box to help guide customers quickly to where they want to be.

4. To build the best website, you do not need obsolete content

If you want the best possible web page, keep it updated and up to date. This is important for content on it like the language you use, marketing tools and blogs, but also basic information on your site. Store hours, contact information, address, phone number, locations, prices, products and services must always be accurate. Having outdated information on your site discredits your business and is frustrating for customers and customers who see your site, to potentially work with you and give you their business.

5. Avoid cluttered designs

We have said it once and we say it again, the simple is best! Messy web design, too many features and too many pages are confusing for the person using your site. You want to create a positive experience for your visitors while keeping their eye on important features. You want to include images or graphics, words and click-through links, but they must be placed skillfully and not in competition with other elements on the page. Each section on each page must have a clear message and action to take.

6. Confusing navigation must go

This goes along with messy pages. Similarly, how you want the message on each page clear, keep the route through your site clear and easy to follow. Take advantage of navigation bars with footer and header as well as intuitive websites. Your main pages should be the first thing clients see, and everything else on your site should be easy to find and retrieve. Getting lost on a website is as bad as getting lost in a personal store.

7. No click-through links

Links that help guide the user are essential for a good UX. Be sure to include well-defined call to action links such as “call now” or “get in touch” or “learn more”. By not including links like this, you are preventing your future customers from taking the next step in doing business with you. You want to ensure that it is as easy as possible to get in touch, buy your product and obtain your services. Simplicity in accessing services is a make-or-break when it comes to business. You may have the best product in the world, but if your customers can not easily access it, they choose something else. Another click link to be included in abundance on your site is a “contact” link. You will always want your customers to be aware that they can get in touch and that you are available to them. One of the reasons why people prefer personal over online is easy to get their questions answered, making your online platform a place that is ready and accessible to reach out to customers.

Poor conversion to mobile phones

Most of us use our cell phones more than our computers, especially when it comes to searching for things online. Poor screen resolution, a non-functional mobile layout, or a confusing mobile conversation are all things that affect the overall usability of your site. When planning to design the best website around, consider your mobile website at the same time.

9. Eliminate webmasters

Let’s face it, no one likes a slow site. Things to avoid, or worth monitoring, are large media files and visuals, bulky, confusing, or conflicting code, and too many plug-ins,

10. Avoid extra long sides

We told you we would say it again, less is more! When appropriate, keep your content short and sweet. Do not omit or remove valuable information, but do not bombard your customers with long paragraphs and extra long pages. Building a website is really about finding the sweet spot with just enough. You want your visitors to feel complete and well-informed by your site, but not overwhelmed or bored. Keeping your pages short and sweet helps UX and encourage users to visit other pages and stay on your site. Have you ever gone to read a blog and looked at the scroll bar, noticed how small it was, and left because you did not want to commit to reading anything for that long? Well, if you have experienced this, chances are your customers should. Do not discourage people until they get to know your business! Complete and concise web pages are always the way to go.

Good luck building your site! Take a look at some of your favorite companies and sites and ask yourself, “What do I like about this site?” and use it as a template for your vision. If you need a little extra help bringing your perfect website to life, Vancouver’s best web design agencies specialize in getting your vision implemented with in-depth research into your competition, your niche and your target audience. Your site is often the first thing new customers will see, make sure to give them the best possible web design.