We often see beautifully crafted websites that fail to deliver a clear and compelling message, leaving visitors confused and disinterested. In today's digital landscape, a well-designed website is crucial for businesses to succeed online. Whether you're building a new website or revamping an existing one, avoiding common design mistakes is essential to create a positive user experience and drive conversions.
We learned through years of experience that businesses should adopt a powerful storytelling approach that can transform websites into captivating and persuasive platforms. Storytelling structure is highly effective for websites because it leverages the power of story to engage visitors. By following this structure, websites can create an emotional connection with users, resulting in increased conversions and user engagement.
In this article, we will explore the website design mistakes to avoid in 2023 and how incorporating storytelling can elevate your website's effectiveness.
The power of storytelling in web design
In recent years, storytelling has emerged as a powerful tool in web design. Gone are the days when websites were merely a collection of static pages with generic content. Today, successful websites are built around engaging stories that captivate visitors and create memorable experiences.
At its core, the storytelling revolves around the idea that every brand should position itself as the "guide" to the customer, helping them overcome challenges and achieve their goals. The customer, in this scenario, is the "hero" of the story. And by following this structure, websites can create an emotional connection with users, resulting in increased conversions and user engagement.
When you come to the point of building or revamping your website, there are a few very common mistakes that can be easily avoided, using storytelling approach. It helps not only fix the technical aspects, but also adds the key elements of sparking the emotion in your prospects and when you spark emotion, you start building a connection with them.
Mistakes to avoid when building your website
Overwhelming clutter, remember that less is more
A cluttered website overwhelms visitors and makes it challenging for them to find what they need. In an attempt to showcase everything, some websites end up making it challenging for your customers to focus on essential elements and understand your message.
How to fix it:
Firstly craft a clear message. The website's homepage should clearly communicate the brand's role as the guide and the solution it provides to the hero's problem. Highlight key problems you are solving for your customer and content which shows how your solution helps them. As well, avoid cramming too much information, just focusing on features and benefits, unrelated images, or graphics onto a single page. Instead, opt for a clean and intuitive layout that allows for easy navigation and prioritises essential content.
Complex navigation, always keep it simple
Your website's navigation serves as a roadmap for visitors to find what they need. Complicated navigation can confuse users and drive them away from your site. If prospects get lost on your website, they will get confused and leave looking for something they can understand.
How to fix it:
Avoid using excessive drop-down menus, obscure icons, or convoluted page structures. Keep the website's navigation simple and intuitive, guiding the hero through the process effortlessly. Your website's content should flow seamlessly, guiding visitors from one section to another while keeping them interested in the journey. Whether you are promoting a product, sharing your brand's history, or providing valuable information, a compelling narrative will keep visitors invested in your site. You want to show within your website that it will be easy to do business with you. Offer them a clear plan to their success, if they see how easy it is to work with you, they will engage.
Ignoring Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons, the most common mistake
CTA buttons are powerful tools to guide visitors towards desired actions, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or contacting you. Neglecting to incorporate effective CTA buttons on your site is a missed opportunity for conversions.
How to fix it:
Conclude your story with a clear CTA that encourages visitors to take the desired action, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or contacting you for more information. Strategically place clear and enticing CTA buttons throughout your website. A well-designed website should have a clear and compelling call-to-action on each page. By doing so, you can significantly improve conversion rates and achieve your business goals.
Inconsistent visuals and branding, spark good emotions
We are all drawn to visuals, and if your website doesn’t have consistent visuals or they are dated and irrelevant, you will create instant bad impression of your brand. Images, videos, and interactive elements can convey emotions and information more effectively than plain text, but having badly placed visuals you can make people leave your website even before they will start reading about how great your solution is.
How to fix it:
Incorporate multimedia elements into your website design to enhance the storytelling experience. Visual elements, such as images and videos, should support the storytelling and evoke the right emotions in the hero. However, be cautious not to overwhelm your visitors with excessive media, as it may slow down your site's loading speed. To maintain a coherent and impactful storytelling structure, ensure that your website's branding is consistent throughout. Use a consistent colour palette, typography, and tone of voice that aligns with your brand identity.
Finally go through this checklist of crucial technical parts to address, because your customers will leave if you:
- Neglecting accessibility. Accessibility is a critical aspect of modern website design. Neglecting it not only alienates users with disabilities but also affects your site's SEO and usability.
How to fix it:
Ensure your website is accessible to all users, regardless of disabilities. Use alt text for images, provide captions for videos, and maintain a clear and consistent layout. An inclusive design will broaden your audience and enhance user satisfaction.
- Neglecting mobile responsiveness. In this digital age, people are more likely to browse websites using their mobile devices than desktop computers. When your website doesn't adapt to different screen sizes, it leads to an unpleasant user experience. Visitors may struggle to navigate, read content, and access crucial information, leading them to leave your site quickly.
How to fix it:
To avoid this blunder, invest in responsive web design. Create a website that seamlessly adjusts to various devices, ensuring that every visitor enjoys a smooth browsing experience.
- Ignoring slow loading speeds. If your website takes ages to load, visitors will abandon it without a second thought. Slow loading speeds frustrate users, resulting in higher bounce rates and lower search engine rankings.
How to fix it:
Optimising your website's loading speed is crucial for a successful online presence. Compress images, leverage browser caching, and minimize HTTP requests to improve loading times significantly. By doing so, you will enhance user satisfaction and encourage them to explore your site further.
- Ignoring SEO. Having a visually stunning website is not enough; it must also be easily discoverable by search engines. Ignoring Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a missed opportunity to increase organic traffic to your site.
How to fix it:
Research relevant keywords related to your industry and incorporate them naturally throughout your website's content. Optimise meta tags, titles, and descriptions to improve your website's visibility in search engine results.
Building or revamping website doesn’t have to be a daunting exercise. By learning from the mistakes above you can start creating quality websites that convert. Incorporating storytelling to your website offers you a way to create an emotional connection with your target group, impressively present the benefits of your brand and increase your credibility. When your website is designed well, people trust you. Which means they engage more. Ready to upgrade your website? To help you out, we created this great wireframe for a storytelling website you can download now.
If you’re stuck and having problems building your website, can’t keep your audience interested, or you need somebody to help you create a storytelling script or to build a website for you, then you can hire our Authentic Engagement coach, just book an appointment here.
