10 Web Design Mistakes to Avoid and How to Fix Them
What are 9 mistakes that you should avoid doing in modern web design? Find out in new blog post by Inkyy team.
6 min read
Web design mistakes cost businesses visitors, enquiries and sales, and most of them are easy to avoid once you know what to look for. A site can look good and still lose people because the menu is hidden, the page is crowded or the phone number is nowhere to be found.
Below are 10 web design mistakes we see again and again, with a plain fix for each. Use the list to check your own site, or to review a design before it goes to a client. For the wider picture, start with our basic web design principles.
1. Too much content on the page
Visitors decide in a few seconds whether a page is worth their time. If the homepage shows a wall of text, six banners and three videos, they cannot tell what matters and many leave.
Too much content also slows the page down, which makes the problem worse. Put the most important information about your business first, then give each extra topic its own page or section.
How to fix it: write one clear headline, one supporting line and one main action for each page. Build a clear visual hierarchy so the eye knows where to go first. Compress images and test your speed with the free guidance on web.dev.
2. No grid or layout structure
Pages without a layout structure feel random. Columns do not line up, spacing changes from section to section and the design looks unfinished even when each part is fine on its own.
Modern CSS gives you real tools for this. CSS Grid and Flexbox let you build consistent columns and spacing that also adapt to the screen. You can read the basics in the MDN guide to CSS grids.
How to fix it: plan a column grid before you design, and keep margins and gaps on a fixed scale. Our post on grid-based layout in web design shows how.
3. A site that is not responsive
On most sites, a large share of visitors arrive on a phone. A page that needs pinching and zooming, or has buttons too small to tap, loses them straight away. Google also uses the mobile version of a page when it indexes it, so a weak mobile site can hurt your search results too, as the Google Search Central guide to mobile-first indexing explains.
How to fix it: design for the smallest screen first, then add space and columns as the screen grows. Test on real phones, not only in a browser window, and make buttons and links easy to tap with a thumb.
4. No contact page or contact details
It is surprising how many business sites make it hard to get in touch. People want a phone number, an email address or a form, and they look for them in the header, the footer and a page called Contact. If they cannot find one, they go to a competitor.
How to fix it: add a contact page, link it from the main menu, and repeat your key details in the footer. If you have a physical location, show the address and a map.
5. Duplicate or vague page titles
The title of each page sits in the <title> tag of the HTML. It appears in browser tabs and often as the blue link in search results. When every page has the same title, or just your business name, both people and search engines learn nothing about the page.
How to fix it: give every page a short, specific title that says what it is. Put the main topic first and your brand last. Google explains how it picks the link shown in results in its guide to title links.
6. An unclear call to action
A call to action (CTA) tells visitors what to do next: book a call, request a quote, buy now. A weak CTA says “Click here” or “Submit”. A pushy one covers the page with pop-ups before the visitor has read a word.
How to fix it: use one main action per page and name it clearly, for example “Get a free quote”. Make it look different from everything around it, keep forms short and never block the content with a pop-up on arrival. See our guide to pop-up design for the right way to use them.
7. Hidden or confusing navigation
Navigation is how people find things. A menu hidden behind an unlabelled icon on desktop, a long list of vague labels or a menu that changes from page to page all slow people down. In a shop, that can mean lost sales.
How to fix it: keep the main menu short, use plain labels such as Services, Pricing and Contact, and keep it in the same place on every page. We cover this in detail in our post on website navigation.
8. Low-quality images
Blurry, stretched or generic stock photos make a business look careless. Images are often the first thing people see, so they set the tone before anyone reads a line. Very large images are a problem too, because they slow the page.
How to fix it: use sharp images that fit the space, show your real products or team where you can, and compress them before upload. Check the licence of every image you use, and write short alt text that describes what each image shows.
9. Ignoring accessibility
Low-contrast text, tiny fonts, images with no alt text and forms that cannot be used with a keyboard shut out many visitors. Accessibility is also a legal matter in many countries, and it is a common miss on small business sites.
How to fix it: check text contrast with the free WebAIM contrast checker, add alt text, label every form field and make sure the whole site works with a keyboard. Our guide to web design laws covers the legal side.
10. Not designing for your audience
Many sites are built around what the owner likes. Visitors care about whether the site answers their question. A plumber’s site should help someone with a leaking pipe find a number fast. It does not need to look like a magazine.
How to fix it: write down who your ideal customer is, what they want to know and what worries them. Then check that your homepage answers those points on the first screen. Our post on web design for small business goes deeper.
A quick checklist before you launch
- The main message and action are clear on the first screen.
- The site works and looks right on a phone.
- Every page has a unique, specific title.
- Contact details are easy to find.
- The menu is short and in the same place on every page.
- Images are sharp, compressed and licensed.
- Text contrast is high enough and every image has alt text.
If you find several problems, it may be time for a website redesign. Selling online? Read our list of e-commerce web design mistakes as well, or the broader common web design mistakes guide. For the basics of good structure, see our 5 rules of web design. You can also browse our design services.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common web design mistakes?
Cluttered pages, hidden navigation, poor mobile layouts, weak calls to action, low-quality images and missing contact details. Slow loading and poor accessibility are also very common.
How do I know if my website design is bad?
Ask a few people who have never seen it to find your phone number and your main service. If they take more than a few seconds, or give up, you have a problem. Your analytics can also show pages where visitors leave quickly.
Do web design mistakes affect SEO?
Yes. Slow pages, poor mobile layouts, duplicate titles and confusing navigation can all make it harder for search engines to understand your site and for people to stay on it.
Should I fix my website or start again?
Fix it if the structure is sound and the problems are on a few pages. Redesign if the layout, navigation and mobile experience all need work, or if the site no longer fits your business.
Need a website built without these mistakes?
Inkyy is a white label design and development team for agencies. Our in-house designers and developers build fast, responsive, accessible websites that you deliver under your own brand. See our design services or book a 15-minute call.
