Sites that are poorly designed, have a difficult-to-navigate interface, or that don’t provide visitors with what they need to find quickly aren’t going to be effective for users. This doesn’t mean every website out there is perfect — there are plenty of websites that have no business being online because they’re riddled with bugs and broken layouts. A bad website is one that has serious design flaws, usability issues, or if you ask us, just not enough content. If you can spot the red flags from afar then it shouldn’t be too much of a stretch to see why your own website might be lacking in those same areas. Read on for more information on what makes a website bad and how you can identify these issues before they spiral out of control.
Content Overload
Too much content will make your website a nightmare to navigate. Visitors want sites that are well organized and provide relevant information quickly. If you’re using too many images or the text is too small, visitors won’t have the ability to focus on what they need to see.
Poor Navigation
It’s easy to see how navigation is a key component of the user experience. If your website has trouble with navigation, it will be difficult for users to find what they need quickly. Users are likely to give up on a poorly designed site; this can be especially detrimental if the website is an e-commerce store. E-commerce stores have a very high conversion rate, so it’s important that the first few seconds of browsing are an efficient and enjoyable experience for the customer.
Outdated Landing Pages
It’s never a good idea to leave your landing pages as is. Your landing pages are often the first thing visitors see and what they experience will determine whether or not they stick around to interact with your website. If your landing page is too cluttered and doesn’t provide visitors with what they need, then it’s likely that visitors will leave without taking any action. In addition, if you have outdated marketing materials on your corporate website, then people might forget about your business if those resources can no longer be found online.
Bad Usability
If your website is difficult to navigate or has a difficult-to-navigate interface, then it’s not going to be effective for your visitors. It will frustrate them, turn them off, and make them want to leave your site.
Broken Site Patterns
Broken site patterns are a bad sign that your website might have design flaws. These patterns are easy to spot, like repetitive use of the same background or font color, or top navigation that is just links and no content. There’s nothing worse than a website that has broken site patterns, so take note if you see any in your competitors’ websites. If you see these patterns on your website too much, it could indicate a lack of time spent on it and the need for a redesign.
Irrelevant Content
If your website has content that doesn’t match the features of its design, it could be a sign that you need to rethink everything about your website and how it works. If you’re only using part of your website for navigation, for example, then you might want to start thinking about what else needs to be included on your site. With bad websites, there are often many issues with content as well.
For example, if one section of a website is not updated with current information or relevant information, it may be because the company hasn’t put in any effort into keeping that section updated. It’s possible the company is busy with other projects or simply got too busy to keep their website updated. It can also indicate that the content on the site is out of date and not worth continuing to maintain. Bad websites are often ineffective at getting visitors to do what they want them to do on their site — whether that’s sign up for an account or purchase something. These websites still have traffic coming in but they aren’t converting into sales or leads as quickly as they should be.
Too Much Noise
If you’ve been following us for a while now, you know we take our content quality very seriously. We don’t want your experience on our website to be one that is overloaded with noise. That’s why we try to keep it simple and elegant. With the right design, you can achieve this without having to sacrifice any of the information that matters most. If you find yourself struggling to find what you need online, then it might just be time to clean up your site design. In addition, if you are looking to get more traffic to your site, then you should consider using some of these tips.
Final Words
If you want to grow your business, great search engine optimization (SEO) is a must. The challenge? Many small businesses don’t have the time, skills, or expertise necessary to handle everything that comes with a solid SEO strategy. From keyword research to content evaluation, from page optimization to internal linking, it’s easy for companies to end up with a generic web presence that doesn’t inspire engagement or drive conversions. Designing an effective SEO strategy isn’t a simple task. Companies have to consider how search engines are evaluating the content, what aspects of SEO offer the most impact, and where they could change their current content to better align with search engine expectations.
This is especially critical as search engines like Google continually refine their ranking process. For example, page loading speed is now a factor in search result rankings. In practice, this expands the role of SEO; it’s not enough to simply weave in popular keywords and deliver high-quality content. Brands also need to consider the entire user experience. As a result, it’s often worth outsourcing SEO services to ensure that your digital presence is generating maximum impact and capturing the highest volume of prospective customers. In much the same way that companies outsource their marketing efforts to experts, outsourcing SEO provides a way for brands to identify key strategic goals and then leave the complex process of meeting those goals to industry experts.
