4 Problems of Modern Web Design

Building an engaging, user friendly website can be a real challenge. Most web designers often forget that they are not creating a website for themselves, but for the user, so they allocate more importance to creativity, rather than usability and practicality.

However, when it comes to web designing, modern web designers have plenty of advanced tools to make a website look appealing to any web visitor. For example, ambient video, interactive animation and parallax scrolling, are but to name a few of the more interesting features available.

However, it’s important not to overdo it – too much, and it becomes overbearing, or too little, and the site can seem bland.

• Confusing Animation

Animation is being requested more and more by clients – many business owners understand that it keeps a user on their site for longer. However, using this tool as a way to explain everything can easily backfire – people need text as well as video, in order that if there’s something they haven’t understood, they can easily just re-read it. It saves on having to rewind the video to an approximate point where they thought this information could be found.

• Difficult navigation

Every website has mere seconds to grab a user’s attention. If navigation isn’t as intuitive as they would expect, they just simply leave, or “bounce”, from the website. There are plenty more companies who may have the right balance, therefore it’s crucial to consider a menu navigation that allows the user journey to continue, without them having to think too much about how they want to find what they’re looking for.

• Missing Call-to-Action

Every website should have a strong call-to-action on every page. If your website has no real call-to-action to encourage the user journey through your site, you’re not giving them enough reasons, or time, for them to find something that they do like.

• Speed and load-time

Many web designers forget to keep website speed and load time in mind.  Slow loading websites frustrate many of us, and, naturally, this becomes the main reason behind page abandonment. According to Kissmetrics, the majority of users will wait for up to 10 seconds. Even a 1 second extra delay can drop the conversion rate by approximately 7%. Major aspects are potentially responsible for slow speeds, but many of these are too technical to go into here. It’s best to visit a site like GT Metrix, which will analyse your page for you, then pass the results over to your web development company to look into the issues for you.

A modernised web design can be relied upon to maintain your professionalism, and also shows that you are still operating and wish to compete against the best. An outdated website suggests that the light is on, but no-one is home, and web traffic will skirt around your site to find one that looks well maintained and recently updated.

Five Rivers can help you to compete with even your biggest competitors. From web design services, to Video marketing and customised digital marketing campaigns, we offer a complete package. Call us today on 0203 397 7545 for a free consultation.