There are a lot of myths floating around out there about website design. Here’s a list of 20 of the most common myths:
1. After the website is up it doesn’t need updated
Trends in web design are constantly changing. This doesn’t mean that you want your site to look like the latest trend, but if your website looks like the last time it was updated was 10-20 years ago, that’s a problem.
Aside from how it looks, it’s also a good idea to frequently add new content to your website to get the best rankings in Google and other search engines.
2. My website should be exactly the way I want it
When designing a website, it’s more important to design for your audience than to exactly what you want.
3. I need Flash on my website
This is bad for a couple reasons. The first is that a lot of search engines no longer support Flash and the second is that it does nothing for search engine optimization (SEO).
4. Anyone can build a website
While not completely a myth, many people struggle through building a website on their own to save money. Even if they are using a website builder that’s supposed to be easy, it can be time consuming and frustrating. There are a lot of low to no budget ways to get a website, but for a professional-looking website that’s right for your business, it’s best to have your website professionally designed. Even better is if you have your website built by a web designer that understands SEO.
5. I need a website that’s different from everyone else’s
While you don’t want to copy everyone else, you also don’t want to confuse visitors that have come to expect a website to be a certain way or add a bunch of stuff that makes it take too long to load.
6. I need the most stylish website possible
A stylish website is nice, but it isn’t as important as a great user experience.
7. I can get a college student to build my website
This may get you a website, but it will also be likely to get you someone inexperienced, particularly in SEO. For instance, most college students are not familiar with SEO, a step you don’t want to skip if you want customers to find you in the search engines.
8. All I need is a great website design
If you’re referring to how your website looks, by website design, it it important, but not as important as user experience, a good site structure, and quality content. And don’t overlook Search Engine Optimization. No matter how great your website looks, it’s unlikely to be found in search engines without SEO.
9. I don’t need a mobile-friendly site
Everybody with a website needs a site that works well on all types of devices considering most searches are now performed on mobile devices.
10. I can use a template
Templates can help save time and money. For instance, to get a fully custom WordPress website, you can expect to spend in the $1,000’s, but it’s rare that a template will work well for your business without customization. This requires the ability to find the code and be able to change it without breaking the website. It also requires knowledge of plugins and widgets – which to use and how to use.
11. Visual is the most important part of design
How your website looks is very important, but not as important as content and ease of navigation.
12. Test on every device
It’s impossible to test on every device, but testing on the most used devices is important.
13. The more choices and features the better
You don’t want to overload your website. In many cases, more is not better.
14. The homepage is the most important page
This is definitely not true. When coming from a search engine, many users land on a page other than the homepage. This is because Google or another search engine has decided that another page on your website is relevant to what they searched for. It could be easily argued that other pages, such as individual service pages are the most important.
15. Create content after the design
Planning the content helps with planning the design.
16. White space equals wasted space
Think of a resume. If it has no white space, it’s harder to read.
17. The homepage is the page with the most text
This one kind of goes along with #14 about how the homepage is not your most important page. For the best results to drive traffic to your website, you want to try to get to at least 300-1000 words on your homepage. Choose images, graphics, and video that flows well and shows what your site is about.
18. Building a website is enough to get visitors
Just building a website is not enough. You need to be doing things, such as SEO, that brings potential customers to your website.
19. Big, bright, and bold is best
You want visitors to take the desired action, but a website that is too much can have the opposite effect.
20. I need stock photography for the best website
Unless your images are exceptionally low quality, it’s often best to use your own good quality images whenever possible.
As you can see, there are quite a few myths about web design out there. It’s important to know what these are to avoid them when it comes to the design of your website. Contact Delphinium Marketing today at 304-207-0795!