It takes about 50 milliseconds for a user to make a judgment about a website, and the visual design affects the first impression. Website design may seem like a subjective matter, but there are some objective design principles influencing users’ opinions and conversions. Let's look at some basic rules to avoid web design mistakes.
1. Website Usability
To achieve a well-designed interface created with a user in mind, consider these points, information hierarchy, mobile-friendly design, clear navigation and structure and easy-to-read copywriting.
It is a construction company website template that combines vital UX design principles:
Elements and photos match;
Texts are easy to understand;
Important information is illustrated;
It’s responsive;
Call-to-action buttons are distinctive;
The navigation is clear.
2. Animations
If you don’t feel the need to use animations on your website, it’s better to avoid using them. Because when a website with a background full of animations. It makes it seems that the background is more important than the site’s content as the animation grabs all of the viewer's attention. If you choose to use animation, make sure there is one bolding element on the page. You can apply animations to explain who you are in a detailed manner.
3. Typography and Text
Bad typography kills great content. There are some typography design mistakes that create an impression of a sloppy website, like too big or too small font sizes, never-ending paragraphs, non-matching typefaces, and silly fonts like Comic Sans. To create a good website, here’s what you should do instead. You can have a white background that allows viewers to read without stressing out their eyes, big chunks of text are divided into small paragraphs which makes them easy to understand and you should Justify your content to be read easily.
4. Images and Illustrations
Images matter because they can create a long-lasting impression, demonstrate products from a better angle and motivate consumers to build relationships with the brand.
The design mistakes related to images are fake stock images, low-resolution photos, pictures not fitting the website parameters and images not related to the text. The good way to handle image is that you will still understand what the company offers even if you don’t read the text, and that’s a result of good design.
5. Consistency
Inconsistency is what makes a bad website. How to avoid inconsistent design mistakes? Try focus on the colors, all color match each other and are taken from your brand and all elements deliver a consistent message. You can form an opinion about the company by looking at the main page only and every sentence leads to the main idea and explains what services you are offering. Besides, adding several calls-to-actions in different areas within a page leads to the same action as requesting a free consultation.
Summary
Let’s sum it up. The core difference between good and bad websites lies in visual appeal, consistency and ability to help companies achieve business goals. A good website has a clear structure, easy-to-use navigation, and non-distracting design, while a bad website makes you feel confused or even annoyed.