You know the type. They’re the websites that make you cringe, face palm, and then maybe even gag. If these websites were dogs, they would be this guy. Is your website one of them?
Well, if your website has any of these items, it just might be!
High res images are essential for any website because blurry images make a company look sloppy and unprofessional. Images that have been stretched or enlarged too much make it look like a website is just half-heartedly trying to make something work that doesn’t fit instead of actually getting the right image for the location. This reflects poorly on the products or services that the business is providing.
Flashing Anything
Strobing images, text, and buttons are so 90’s! Flashing elements have no place on a site anymore – they look outdated and cheesy. Leaving any of these internet relics on your site makes it look like you don’t care enough about your business to update your website regularly. It’s also an assault on the senses, which will likely irritate visitors and chase them away.
Ads Galore
The primary purpose of your website should be to provide visitors with what they came to your site looking for, not to make money on their visit by bombarding them with ads on every page. Now, if you have an informational site, you may need to monetize that by selling some ad space, but that doesn’t mean that your site should look like a Pandora’s box of pop-up ads. Ads should be done tastefully, where needed, and avoided at all cost on ecommerce sites.
Clashing Colors
When someone gets to your website for the first time, you only have a few seconds to convince them to stay. One of the first things people notice is what your website looks like. Before they even read any of the content on your site, they’re already making snap judgements based on what they see. This is why crazy clashing colors on your website can scare off visitors in a flash! Make sure that your design palate includes colors that complement each other nicely.
Attic-Style Clutter
Simply put – your website shouldn’t look like a yard sale. Too many elements on your site (especially on the homepage) can overwhelm visitors, leading to visitors frustration and, subsequently, a high bounce rate. On the other hand, an organized homepage with clear calls-to-action will move visitors along your desired conversion funnel. You should test your website layout and the number of elements, as well as placements of those elements, in order to determine which are the most important and then pare your homepage down to only include those conversion-drivers.
Dizzying Layout
A layout that’s too circular can cause visitors to get frustrated and leave. Sure, you want to provide plenty of opportunities for visitors to stay on your site, but simply funneling people back to your homepage all the time can make visitors feel dizzy because they keep clicking on different things and returning to the same few places. Instead, try to move people in a more linear manner on your site (ex. homepage > category page > product details page with a purchase button > shopping cart > checkout page).
Broken Elements
Images that won’t load, dead buttons, and broken links not only look unprofessional, but they also inhibit the movement of visitors around your website. Don’t let all of the good work you’ve done on your website go to waste by blocking visitor flow. Regularly auditing your site for these types of issues is a good practice to ensure proper functionality!
Kate Pierce is the owner of LionShark Digital Marketing LLC, a West Michigan internet marketing company. Her areas of expertise include Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Web Consulting for small businesses, Copywriting and Local Online Marketing. She lives in the Grand Rapids area with her husband and enjoys cooking, watching sports and spending time outdoors. Like a true digital marketing expert (i.e. geek), she loves talking about marketing theory and SEM trends… so don’t say you weren’t warned!