With today’s increasing availability of web design tools like WordPress, dedicated website builders, or splash page builders, just about anyone can create their website. Even better is that by using a high-quality WordPress template like Astra or Divi, they can make their sites in as little as 1 hour (or even 5 minutes using LOCALSYNC Link). And while developing a website can go a long way in improving brand visibility, it is essential to remember that having this type of site will require maintenance. And for most people, especially those unfamiliar with website development, there will be design challenges that need to be addressed and overcome. For now, let’s take a look at the top website design challenges and what you can do to avoid them.
Top Website Design Challenges
Challenge #1: Providing Too Much Information
The more information, the better, right?
Wrong!
Consumers want information, but they only want what they are looking for. If you bombard them with too much information, this can deter them and cause them to go to a competitor’s site to meet their needs. This is why it is essential to keep your website simple, fresh, and clean, especially the home page. Your home page should require no scrolling when being viewed on a computer screen, and it should list your company’s name, a phone number, email address, a search box, and tabs to other pages on your site. It is critical to ensure that this contact information is the SAME across all local directories not to hurt your local SEO.
Challenge #2: Failure to Refresh the Design
Sure, when your site was created five years ago, the template you used may have been one of the best, but as consumer preferences have changed, so has their taste in web design. This is why it is important to regularly refresh your site’s design, preferably at least once every two to three years.
Remember, consumers are all about the easy digestion of content, so all chunks of text on your site need to be broken down into small paragraphs. And as stated before, the fewer the buttons and clutter, the better. Remember to make your website social media friendly with share buttons to help promote your content via multiple channels.
Things change over time, and Google search algorithm changes can affect your website’s search performance. Google is moving to mobile indexing only in March 2021, so all desktop-only content will not be indexed.
Challenge #3: Failure to Personalize the Site
Consumers want to engage with your business in a personal way. If you use nothing but stock images and icons, this will make your site feel like it’s not legit. With this in mind, you should always do your best to integrate pictures and icons into your site created specifically for your company.
For example, suppose you are a content creation company and you publish a blog posting about using freelance writers to improve SEO rankings. In that case, you could publish the posting with a picture of you and one of the freelance writers that you use to produce your content. This personalizes your site and helps your company seem more personable and real to your customers.
Challenge #4: Not the Right Color Scheme
Bright colors might look good when picking out an outfit, but they don’t usually look all that great on a website. When choosing a color scheme for a website, it’s usually best to keep things calm and straightforward. Colors should be limited to no more than four different shades, and fonts should be consistent throughout the site. Professional sites will want to have no more than three different types of font.
There is a whole psychology of color behind the choices of different colors in marketing. Make sure to take the time to understand how color can affect your website visitors and their behavior. Consistency in color choices are essential for your brand as well as your
Challenge #5: Not Identifying the Target Audience
Identifying the target audience should be one of the first steps you take when designing a website. If you are targeting senior citizens who likely have a difficult time viewing small font, then this will, of course, play into the type of font you want to use on the site—the bigger the font, the better. If you are designing a site for children — a site allowing children to play games — then smaller font and various color shades will be ideal. Identifying who your target audience is and then pinpointing their preferences will go a long way in helping you design a compelling site that appeals to their specific interests and needs.
Challenge #6: You Don’t Include Outbound Links
Sure, you want customers to use your site and make purchases, but you also want to build their trust, and to do this, you need to provide them with content that can be backed by authoritative sources; this is why it is so essential to include outbound links in the content you publish.
Overcoming Website Design Challenges – The Takeaway
Effective web design doesn’t have to give you a headache, and overcoming website design challenges is not insurmountable. LOCALSYNC has many online tools available to help you get online quickly and inexpensively, from link marketing splash pages with LOCALSYNC Link, and easy to use website builder LOCALSYNC Build, and Ultimate WordPress training with LOCALSYNC Training.
Want the LOCALSYNC Team to do it for you? Learn more about turnkey WordPress business websites and managed WordPress hosting from LOCALSYNC.
