It doesn’t matter if you run a business or a charitable organization. Having a website helps you to reach out to a global audience, and is much cheaper to maintain and promote than traditional alternatives. In a sense, your website is your virtual storefront or office door. We as humans are very judgmental, whether we like to admit it or not. We make presumptions about businesses based on how they appear to us.
In a way, it’s a bit like going on a date. If you make an effort to dress up nice, your companion will think highly of you because you made an effort. However, if you rock up looking like a bum, the only thoughts they’ll have of you are negative ones!
As you can appreciate, your website needs to look great and function well. You may think that is the case with yours, but how can you be so certain? Here are some telltale signs of where you might be going wrong with yours:
Your visitors can’t search for stuff
Sure, you may know where all your content is on your website. After all; you’re the person that set it all up! But, what makes you think everyone else will know where certain content is located on your website? The last thing people want to do is spend time clicking through dozens of pages to find the section they are looking for.
You need to make life easy for your website visitors. In the above case, you should implement a search system. If you use a CMS like WordPress, a site search facility comes as standard. Otherwise, consider embedding a Google “custom” search engine on your website.
You’ve used some wacky fonts
There are thousands of fonts out there that you can use on your web pages. You’ll no doubt have selected some that you like. However, have you consider how readable the fonts are that you’ve used?
Remember that some of your website visitors may have vision impairments. The typefaces you use must be easy to read and interpret, especially from a distance. Any good web design company will tell you the same thing! If you’re unsure what fonts to use, perhaps stick with known favorites like Arial or Helvetica.
Your site layout makes no sense
It pays to have a somewhat uniform approach when it comes to website design. People enjoy familiarity and consistency. Your pages don’t need to be a kaleidoscope of different colors, layouts, and sizes. If anything, you’ll annoy people by being “too” diverse with your design concepts!
You forgot to cater for mobile users
Were you aware that more mobile users are searching Google online than desktop and laptop ones? It’s a trend that is set to continue, given how easy and convenient it is to browse the Internet from a mobile device.
If people have to squint to look at your pages from their cell phones, you need to revise your site’s design. Fortunately, a responsive web design means you don’t have to maintain several variations of the same website. Plus, most off-the-shelf website themes and templates are responsive as standard.
If you’re guilty of any of those issues, it’s time to put things right!
