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Top 6 web design myths
Creating an online presence for your brand is easy, right? But how many actually get it right? Here are a few web design myths busted.
Users don’t like to scroll, so we need to cram as much of our content above the fold
In fact, users don’t mind scrolling. They are well aware that they may need to scroll to find more information.
Scrolling is embedded into our lifestyle, scrolling through the live TV guide and scrolling through endless tweets or Facebook status updates is second nature to us.
Keep content above the fold to a minimum and include your most important, strongest call to action.
The bigger my logo the more they will love me and my brand
Users will love you for your values, your excellent service and the satisfaction they get from purchasing from you or using your product. Take Amazon, Apple and Twitter for example. People have come to love these brands because of the service and products they provide, and the things they stand for.
Clients can sometimes spend too much time worrying about the size of their logo than focussing on what their customers actually want to see on the website.
Just think, the more space your logo uses, the less space you have for truly engaging content.
Can the call to action be brighter and flash/spin? Otherwise we won’t get any enquiries
Ah flashing buttons and animated gifs, one of the biggest crazes from the 90s. Bright, flashing buttons can be completely off putting to your users and may turn people away from your site rather then pull them through.
Yes, your call to action should stand out, but instead try a button that animates or has a transition effect that is activated only when the user hovers over it.
My new website went live last night so I will be drowning in sales tomorrow
Sites don’t generate revenue without the effort; if it can’t be found what use is it to anyone? Whether your site has been live for a while or you’re starting from scratch, you need to have an online marketing strategy in place.
Identify your target audience and create relevant, engaging content to keep visitors on your website. Hunt down your competitors and then develop a strategy to stay above them in search results.
Your site will move up the rankings only when you carry out the above. Providing your web site is well designed and you are getting the right traffic, your website will be bringing home the bacon in no time.
I need a mobile specific website
It’s true most browsing is now done from a mobile device or tablet. However, you do not need a mobile specific site to cater for those devices. Many “mobile sites” are cut down versions of the full desktop version. How many of you get annoyed with not being able to switch to the full site, because you can’t find the amount of detail that you know will be on the full site?
So I guess by now you’re wondering what the solution is? Well here it is: if you don’t want to limit your visitors to the amount of information that they can see, but still want the website to work well across multiple devices – opt for a responsive website.
Done well, a responsive website will scale down to display all of the main content perfectly, no matter what device it is accessed from. It’s a much neater solution as mobile specific sites require a separate URL and better yet it’s recommended by the search engine specialists (Google) themselves!
I do/don’t like my website so my customers will/won’t
Most companies make the mistake of deciding that their website is great or not great without taking their customers – the people who will be using it – into consideration. Sure it’s great… but why aren’t you getting any interest?
This is when you need to take a step back from your own likes and dislikes and step into the shoes of your potential customers. And if you’ve heard that a thousand times, that’s because it’s important. What would they say about your site? Better yet, ask them.
When you have decided that your website may not be giving the customer what they want, think about what they would want. Establish buyer personas. Identify at least three of your customer types. Think about their lifestyle, what hobbies do they have, do they have kids, male or female, what might they want to know about your product? Security? Colour availability?
Once you have done this, ensure your website delivers this information in a design that looks great but is both functional and easy to use.
Each person will have their own opinion about what looks good and what doesn’t, and what works well or doesn’t. But with the right attitude and a little research into your target audience, you can create a visually compelling, engaging website that will have you well on your way to online success.
If you’d like to know more about the rights and wrongs of web design or are ready to launch your new website then contact the Purplex web team.
This entry was posted in Web Development
