Websites are a powerful way to convey your brand message and build credibility. But they also need to be well-optimized and user-friendly for a better experience.
Website design plays a critical role in building brand credibility, communicating your message, and engaging your audience. With the majority of internet traffic coming from mobile devices, it’s crucial for website owners to optimize their sites for all devices. However, with so many design elements to consider, it’s easy to make common mistakes that can negatively impact your website’s user experience.
From not using schema markup to not optimizing your site for mobile, to not using a mobile-friendly color palette, the list goes on. In this article, we’ll explore 7 website design mistakes to avoid in 2023, to help you improve your website’s user experience and optimize your site for search engines. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced designer, you’ll learn valuable tips and insights to help you create a website that is both user-friendly and visually appealing.
1. Not Using Schema Markup
Schema markup is an important SEO tool that helps search engines better understand the content on your website. This can improve the quality of search results and overall brand visibility.
There are many types of schema markup, so it’s important to find the ones that are relevant to your site. For example, if you have a recipe website, you might want to use the recipe type of markup to let Google know that your content is about recipes.
Adding schema to your website is simple and can be done in a number of ways. For instance, you can create it in a CMS like WordPress or add it using a plugin.
2. Not Using Responsive Design
Responsive Design is a key aspect of web development, as it ensures your site is optimized to be viewed on any device. This can help improve search engine rankings, as Google prioritizes responsive sites.
One way to make sure your website is responsive is by using CSS media queries. This is supported by almost all modern browsers and allows you to change styles based on the target device, including screen size.
Responsive design also means your text is scaled appropriately to fit the screen, ensuring that visitors can read it easily. This is especially important when you’re using images, as they can be difficult to read on mobile devices without proper optimization.
3. Not Optimizing Your Site for Mobile
One of the biggest mistakes website owners make is not using a mobile-friendly font when designing their site. This can have a significant impact on the overall user experience, as it can be difficult to read text that is too small or illegible.
With more and more people accessing websites through mobile devices, it’s crucial to have a website that is optimized for the device. That way, you won’t inadvertently turn users away from your site.
Not optimizing your site for mobile can be costly in the long run, as it can negatively impact your page speed and Core Web Vitals score. To avoid this, check your mobile site through Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
The best way to avoid this problem is to select a font that works well on both desktop and mobile devices. This includes choosing a serif or sans-serif font. Also, remember that you shouldn’t hide important site elements from mobile users. This can lead to a frustrating user experience that will decrease your conversion rate.
4. Not Using a Mobile-Friendly Background
If you’re using a large, full-screen background image on your website, it’s important to make sure that it can be scaled down for mobile devices. Otherwise, your background image won’t look as nice on a smartphone or tablet.
Another thing to keep in mind is that a background image doesn’t have to be the same size as the content beneath it. That’s why many popular websites use large, full-screen hero images.
But if you want to make sure that your background images scale well across different screen sizes, consider using CSS techniques such as background-size: contain or background-size: cover. These allow you to scale images without cropping them, which makes them easier to view on mobile devices.
5. Not Using a Mobile-Friendly Color Palette
The color palette is one of the most fundamental design choices you’ll make for your website. It should be a balance between eye-pleasing and user-friendly.
Using a color palette that’s too bright or too dark can have an adverse effect on user experience and conversions. The best way to avoid this is to choose a neutral or pastel tone instead of an oversaturated one.
There are many color palette generators online that can help you create a color palette that’s perfect for your website. They will also give you hex codes and color names so you can use them in your designs.
6. Not Using a Mobile-Friendly Background Image
One of the most common mistakes made by website designers is using large, full-screen background images that don’t scale well on mobile devices. This can lead to a poor user experience on mobile devices and negatively impact your website’s speed performance.
Fortunately, there are a few simple steps you can take to ensure that your website’s background image is responsive and mobile-friendly.
First, use a media query to replace your website’s existing background image with an alternate, smaller version. This step can significantly improve your site’s loading speed on small screens like smartphones.
7. Not Using a Mobile-Friendly Background Image
A background image is one of the most common elements used when designing a website. They are a great way to add an element of visual interest and can make your design feel unique and contemporary.
However, a large background image can cause your site to load slower on mobile devices. This can lead to a negative user experience.
Using the right size of an image is important to prevent this. Generally, you want to use dimensions that cover the screen width of a device viewport.
This can be achieved by using the background-size property with a cover value. This will instruct browsers to scale the image’s heights and widths so that they always remain equal to or greater than the viewport’s dimensions.
Takeaways
Creating a website is a crucial step in building your brand and increasing your visibility online. But with so many design options and tools, it can be easy to make mistakes that can negatively impact your site’s performance and user experience. The key is to make informed decisions and avoid the common mistakes listed above.
By optimizing your site for mobile devices, using responsive design, and implementing schema markup, you can make sure that your website will perform well and reach its full potential. Your website should be a reflection of your brand, so take the time to make it user-friendly, visually appealing, and optimized for search engines.
