For any ecommerce business, the website creates the first impression for your visitors. That’s why good web design attracts visitors and turns them into customers. Design is a key part of a website. As a business owner in California, you can’t afford a bad design for your website.
Designers or web agencies create websites that look great, but sometimes they make mistakes. If you’re working with a California web design agency or using a California web design service, ensure that they’re not making any errors. In this blog, we discuss the most important and common mistakes. This guide shows you the mistakes to avoid and how to fix them.
Ignoring Mobile Users
65% of visitors visit websites on their mobile. If your website doesn’t work well on mobiles, users leave fast, and your business loses a large number of customers.
- Layouts that break on smaller screens.
- Tiny fonts that strain the eyes.
- Buttons that are hard to tap.
- Menus that don’t expand properly.
- Forms that don’t work on mobile.
- Images that don’t resize correctly.
- Horizontal scrolling across the screen.
- Content cut off or overlapping.
So, use a responsive layout that ensures your website works well across all devices. Ask your California web design service to use a mobile-first approach. Ensure that every element works smoothly on mobile and other devices.
Slow Page Load Time
If your website takes more than 2s to load, your visitors leave and go to another website. Speed is the most essential part of a website. It also helps your website to rank better.
- Pages that hang or freeze during load.
- Oversized images with no compression.
- Heavy plugins that drain speed.
- Poor hosting servers with delays.
- Too much code is running in the background.
- Missing browser caching.
- Auto-play videos are slowing the page.
- Search engine penalties for slowness.
Work with a California web design agency that cares about your website’s speed and performance. They use compressed files, lighter code, and hosting.
Complicated Navigation
If your navigation is confusing, cluttered, or broken, visitors don’t find what they need. They’ll leave fast.
- Menus with too many layers.
- Dropdowns that overwhelm users.
- Links that don’t work or go nowhere.
- Labels that confuse instead of guide.
- Important pages are hidden too deeply.
- Menus that disappear on mobile.
- No clear path to services or contact.
- Visitors are leaving after too many clicks.
To make web design California, you simplify your website menus with clear labels. Use labels like “Home,” “About,” “Services,” and “Contact.” Each page needs to be easy to reach in two clicks.
Missing Calls to Action
CTA guides your visitors. Without clear CTAs, they don’t take any action. You lose your potential customers.
- No “Buy Now” or “Contact Us” buttons.
- CTAs hidden at the bottom of the page.
- Buttons that blend into the design.
- Overused text links instead of clear buttons.
- Too many different CTAs are causing confusion.
- Forms without a strong submit button.
- Pages ending with no next step.
- Visitors leave unsure what to do.
No Clear Message
When someone visits your website, they quickly decide if they understand what your business does. If it’s not clear, they’ll leave.
- Generic taglines that mean nothing.
- Stock images that don’t match the service.
- Too many messages are competing on one page.
- Missing headlines that state the offer.
- Jargon-filled text that users don’t understand.
- Brand voice that feels inconsistent.
- No mention of location or audience.
- Visitors are unsure what the company sells.
Weak Visual Design
Your visual design talks about your brand. If it looks messy or old, they won’t trust it.
- Overuse of colors and fonts.
- Cluttered page layouts.
- Inconsistent branding styles.
- Low-quality design elements.
- Crowded spacing with no balance.
- Flashy but outdated graphics.
- Lack of modern design patterns.
- Brand identity not clear in visuals.
Using Low-Quality Images
Users don’t like blurry or outdated images. An image can grab visitors’ attention.
- Blurry or stretched pictures.
- Images that don’t match your service.
- Free stock photos are used everywhere.
- Product photos that lack detail.
- Outdated team photos.
- No images of real people or products.
- Unedited pictures that look unprofessional.
- Random photos that confuse visitors.
No SEO Foundation
Without SEO, no one knows about your website or business. Even a great design fails if no one finds it.
- Missing title tags and meta descriptions.
- No keywords in content.
- Images without alt text.
- No internal linking between pages.
- Weak or broken site structure.
- Slow load speed is hurting rankings.
- Ignoring mobile SEO.
- No local optimization for California.
Ignoring Accessibility
Everyone needs to use your website. If people with disabilities can’t use it, they leave, and you lose a potential customer.
- Fonts that are too small or hard to read.
- Colors with poor contrast.
- Missing alt text for images.
- Menus that don’t work with keyboards.
- Videos with no captions.
- Animations that cause strain.
- Buttons are too small for screen readers.
- No accessibility testing at all.
Outdated Content
A site with old information makes your website outdated. Customers want to see and know about new updates.
- Blog posts from years ago.
- Expired offers are still online.
- Old events are listed on the homepage.
- Dead links leading to errors.
- Staff profiles are no longer accurate.
- Outdated pricing tables.
- Old copyright date in the footer.
- No sign of recent activity.
Overusing Animation or Effects
Too many moving parts distract users. Instead of engaging, your site feels messy and slow.
- Constant pop-ups everywhere.
- Auto-play videos at page load.
- Hover effects that confuse visitors.
- Parallax scrolling slows speed.
- Animations that don’t work on mobile.
- Elements moving without reason.
- Visitors are distracted from the main content.
- Slower site performance overall.
Generic Branding
If your site looks like everyone else’s, it won’t stand out. Branding gives you identity and trust.
- No logo or a low-quality logo.
- Generic templates with no uniqueness.
- Random colors that don’t match.
- Fonts that don’t align with your brand.
- No tagline or brand voice.
- Stock images are used as identity.
- Design that could fit any business.
- Visitors are not remembering your brand.
No Social Proof
In this digital world, people trust reviews before they trust you. A site without proof feels empty.
- No testimonials on pages.
- No client logos displayed.
- No case studies showing success.
- No customer reviews listed.
- No star ratings anywhere.
- Generic claims without evidence.
- No pictures of real clients.
- Visitors are doubting your credibility.
Cluttered Layout
When a website has too much content, it feels overwhelming. Keeping things simple works best.
- Multiple banners stacked at the top.
- Pop-ups appear one after another.
- Too many fonts and colors.
- Large text blocks without breaks.
- No clear hierarchy in content.
- Ads covering useful sections.
- Visual noise everywhere.
- Visitors leaving from overwhelm.
Poor Forms
If your website forms are too long or don’t work well, they annoy people. They won’t fill them out.
- Forms asking for too many details.
- Broken submit buttons.
- No clear error messages.
- Confusing instructions.
- Mobile forms are hard to use.
- No confirmation after submission.
- Forms are taking too long to load.
- Visitors are abandoning the process.
No Local Connection
California customers prefer local businesses. If your site ignores location, you miss that audience.
- No city or region is mentioned anywhere.
- Generic messaging with no local touch.
- No mention of serving Los Angeles or the nearby area.
- No local keywords in content.
- Stock images instead of real local scenes.
- Address hidden or missing.
- No Google Map integration.
- Visitors are unsure where you operate.
No Contact Info
If visitors can’t reach you quickly, they leave. Missing contact info damages credibility.
- No phone number listed.
- Email address missing or hidden.
- Address not shown anywhere.
- The contact page is buried deep.
- No contact options on mobile.
- No live chat or support option.
- No map or directions included.
- Visitors are doubting your legitimacy.
Skipping Analytics
Without data, you don’t know what’s working. A site without tracking tools cannot improve.
- No Google Analytics installed.
- No traffic reports available.
- No tracking for conversions.
- Missing heatmaps or click data.
- No A/B testing done.
- Blind updates without evidence.
- No insights into visitor behavior.
- Missed chances to improve design.
Bad Hosting
Good design fails without strong hosting. Poor hosting slows speed and hurts trust.
- Frequent site downtime.
- Slow server response.
- Security issues with weak hosting.
- No backups for recovery.
- Limited bandwidth for traffic.
- Data centers are too far from California.
- Lack of SSL or secure protocols.
- Users leaving from failed loads.
No Strategy
A site without a clear plan wastes money. It may look good, but it won’t grow your business.
- No clear goals for conversions.
- Pages built without purpose.
- Design that doesn’t guide users.
- No focus on sales or sign-ups.
- No connection between pages.
- No alignment with business goals.
- Pretty design but zero results.
- Visitors are unsure of the next step.
Build Better with Strategic Web Design in California
Make sure you avoid these common web design mistakes. That one mistake can hold you back. If you run a small local shop or online business, whatever it is. Your website is the only place where people know about you and your brand.
To avoid these mistakes, work with a trusted California web design agency, like We Misc. They know about these mistakes and also how to design your website uniquely. As a business owner, ensure that you choose the right California web design service.
Choose the best web design California businesses rely on. Built to look great and work smoothly. If you’re in San Diego, San Francisco, or Los Angeles web design, it’s time to take your website to the next level.
