Why you built it, but they ain't coming: 5 tragic web design mistakes

When you built your organization’s website, you expected it to attract customers and deliver results.

Just like Kevin Costner’s Ray Kinsella in Field of Dreams, you thought that if you built it, they would come.

But what happens when your website isn’t delivering the traffic or conversions that your business needs to grow?

Well, there are a few common web design flaws that could be contributing to those lackluster results. Fortunately, they can be fixed. Read on to learn about five issues that could be preventing your website from being successful:

If you build it, they will come: An optimized and user-friendly website will attract traffic and customers. 

1) Your shopping cart is complicated

Back in 2009, Smashing Magazine identified poor cart design as a huge turn-off for online shoppers and offered this advice that still makes sense today:

"Make sure your cart lets a user add an item and then return to the last page they were on. Even better: allow them to add an item to their cart without ever leaving the page they're on (by using a mini cart). Let your customers edit the quantities of items in their cart or remove an item from their cart. And let them preview what shipping charges will be before they start the checkout process."

Remember that online shoppers are interested in convenience. That is why they shop online. The more convenient you can make the process of adding items to a cart, the more likely that cart is to be full.

2) Your product images are too small

According to HubSpot's "2 Ecommerce Image Tips that Increase Sales Conversions," size does matter.

The article notes:

"Your images should be large and clear enough for buyers to see every detail. A zoom feature to help with the smallest of details is always a great idea, too. Photograph and feature every product from a variety of angles, too. Buyers will want to see top, bottom, sides, and inner workings of everything you sell. Again, without those details, consumers will walk away and find a site that can provide the images they need."

3) Your site is not responsive

This one is a biggie. Ecommerce sites must be just as easy to view on mobile devices as on desktops. Mobile shopping is now the norm rather than the exception. If your site does not display properly on smartphones and tablets, your customers will find a competitor site that does.

Does your site display properly across all devices? It will if you incorporate responsive design. 

4) You have a wimpy call-to-action

The design of your landing pages must include a strong call-to-action that is easy to understand and follow. A/B testing can help you narrow down the field of most effective calls to action for your target audience. Use your analytics to determine what is working and what needs to be revamped in the wording and look of your CTAs.

5) Your pages load slowly

You know how, when you go to the DMV, you can barely stand the thought of standing in that slow-moving line? If your web pages load slowly, your customers get that same frustrated feeling.

However, unlike what happens at the DMV, there is no reason for your customers to put up with having to wait. Slow-loading pages will make them shop online elsewhere ... in a hurry.

The takeaway

There are, of course, many other design flaws that can wreak havoc with your marketing plans. Generally speaking, your goal regarding ecommerce sites should be to make the purchase process as frictionless as possible at every step.

Providing a user experience that includes an easy-to-use shopping cart, high-quality images, responsive web design, a strong call to action, and fast-loading web pages will increase conversion rates and make your ecommerce site profitable.

Do you need help with building a better, more effective ecommerce site, or optimizing the one you already have? Get your free copy of our growth-driven design playbook to learn how data-driven upgrades can give you a website that attracts and converts customers.

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