10 Web Design Mistakes NOT to Make

By Caitlyn Smith Blog Web Design August 7, 2020

Whether you design websites, manage your organization’s CMS or are just curious about what NOT to do when it comes to web design, there are plenty of things to consider.

Some websites are outdated.

Some websites aren’t accessible.

Some aren’t responsive.

And some pages drive you or your designer crazy.

Below are 10 things we suggest NOT to do when building a website or blog.

1. Not having a responsive site

It’s 2020 and there’s no excuse for your site to not be responsive. Responsive web design was thought up almost 10 years ago, with it becoming a standard practice more than 5 years ago. Every single website that’s viewed on a computer needs to be just as viewable on a phone or tablet.

2. Not paying attention to load times

47% of people expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less. If they’re browsing on their phone or tablet, that percentage jumps to 53%. Plenty of things can affect your pages load time, from overly large images to lots of bells and whistles.

3. Not closing your tags

If you’re writing code and don’t double-check your work, you could easily miss a closing tag. While not all tags require a closing tag, it’s better to err on the side of caution and close every tag you open. This sets the standard for organized code and won’t give you a bunch of red error messages in your code editor.

4. Not using comments

Comments are a great way to help document your HTML. They aren’t rendered on the webpage itself but are visible to anyone that views the pages source code. Comments are usually used to explain something in the code or for debugging purposes. They’re also used as a way to help the developer understand their code when they come back to later on.

5. Not using up-to-date HTML/CSS/Javascript

HTML, CSS, and Javascript are the building blocks of the Web. This is why it’s crucial to make sure you’re up to date with the most recent version while coding. Different versions offer different tags and newer versions keep up with all the new technology and multimedia.

6. Not using an SSL/TLS certificate

Website security is of the utmost importance in this day and age. Recently, we wrote up a post about the Importance of HTTPS and Security Certificates. Having an unsecured website can appear as “Dangerous” and therefore Google penalizes your website ranking.

7. Not using code structure

Nicely indented markup goes a long way in beautifying your code. Otherwise, you’re going to be stuck with a pile of unorganized code that’s a lot more difficult to go through for edits. Clean HTML is the foundation of a great website. Keeping your CSS and Javascript external is another good practice.

8. Not using a CTA

No matter the purpose of your website, you need to have a call-to-action (CTA.) Your CTA is the gateway to your business. It commands your visitors to do something, whether it’s to “Click here”, “Download now”, or “Learn more!”

9. Not being smart about SEO

Your visibility on search engines should be a top priority. If someone searches for a business in your industry, wouldn’t it be great if you were on the first page of results? Making SEO a priority will improve traffic which in turn improves revenue. You can read more about our Best Practices for SEO on our blog.

10. Not having your site be accessible

Those with disabilities need to be able to access your website, just like they need to be able to access a building. Just as important as ramps and braille signs, providing means of access to the disabled community is extremely important. Read about How to Make Your Web Design More Accessible on our blog.

There are plenty of ways to make your website a total train wreck and there are plenty of ways to improve your website. Most people have a website to improve traffic to their business and generate leads and revenue.

Follow these ten guidelines to assure that your website is up to par with both your visitors and yourself.

Check out our other blog posts about Web Design: