Did you know it only takes a website visitor an average of .05 seconds before they form an opinion of your website? Because your website users form an opinion so quickly, a good website design is becoming increasingly essential to capture and keep a visitor’s attention. In an effort to make sure your design attracts instead of detracts, we’re sharing 3 common web design mistakes to avoid.
Mistake #1:Pop-ups
Don’t you just hate it when you’re surfing a website and suddenly an annoying pop-up interrupts and distracts your engagement? Personally, we hate it. Not only are pop-ups annoying, but they also subvert marketing efforts and interrupt your users journey down the sales funnel. With few exceptions, a pop-up with an easy opt out option after a considerable amount of time may be acceptable… But more often than not, hasty pop-ups are a no-go.
Mistake #2: Auto-play Videos
Auto-play videos are the equivilant of being ambused by unplanned and often unwanted sound and video. This often results in a user leaving your page, just to get away from the noise. A more effective solution is to instead invite your user to watch your video.
Mistake #3: Mobile-Only Sites
We know what you’re thinking. Google just stated the importance of having a mobile-friendly website… So why wouldn’t I want to create a mobile-only site? Well, the truth is that while you want your website to be mobile-friendly and responsive, you don’t want your website to be mobile-only. In fact, Google discourages them and you’ll end up getting penalized due to duplicate content.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the main objective of your website is to put your visitor first. What do they want to see? Does your website design improve their user experience? These are all questions to consider as you’re designing to ensure you’re captivating your website visitors.