Did you know, on average, it takes about 0.05 seconds for a user to form an opinion about your website? It also takes 0.10 seconds to blink. You literally have half the blink of an eye to sell your brand before someone leaves your site. Whether you already have a site up and running or are looking to build, check out these website design tips to ensure your page not only catches the eye of your users, but compels them to linger on your site.

Do NOT Have a Cluttered Homepage

Just like in your home or apartment, a clean, well-organized living area affects how a guest feels in your space. More importantly, it affects how long they feel like staying. Users want a clear UI where they can easily navigate to what they want as quickly as possible without distractions. If your website is crowded, visitors will have a harder time finding what they need. It’s less about aesthetics and more about deep-cleaning the clutter that could be costing you. Most web designers agree on the value of clarity, yet a majority of websites are still failing to actually achieve simple organization.

Do NOT Forget About Mobile Devices

Over HALF of internet users reported that they wouldn’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile website. It doesn’t matter what business you’re in: desktop users are less and less common nowadays. If your mobile website’s appearance is not as good as the desktop version, you could be losing valuable business because of decreased accessibility.

Do NOT Settle for Low-Quality Visuals

You might be thinking to yourself, “Yeah, yeah, this is all great for design companies where visual appeal and aesthetics matter. But my company has nothing to do with that!” Wrong! Humans are visual creatures and base a lot of credibility on first impressions (remember 0.05 seconds?). If your site features grainy or pixelated images (or worse… images that won’t load), it affects the professionalism of your company and the appearance of quality in your product. Hiring a photographer and working with an experienced web designer to create and share high-quality visuals is paramount. 

Do NOT Continue Expanding Your Website Copy

Here’s a direct quote from one of our web designers at Big Red Jelly:

“I have a client whose pages have essentially turned into blogs. We’re working on shortening it all because people don’t have high attention spans.”

Take the time to condense and make sure you are giving website users the important information quickly and succinctly. While you may be passionate enough about your business to write novels about it, your customers only need to know the most important stuff.

Do NOT Leave Out a Contact Page

Lastly, after making so many improvements to your website, it would be a shame to lose customers simply because you forgot to provide contact info. The best digital content in the world cannot replace an easily accessible phone number, address, or email.

Here’s a BRJ pro tip: Make sure the phone number on your page is a direct link for them to call you. Even the most dedicated customer might get frustrated and lose interest if they have to copy and paste your contact info between apps.

At Big Red Jelly, we understand that your website is your company’s lifeline. We recommend continuously reviewing your site during the design process to make sure you aren’t committing these web design mistakes. And if you need any help or your website looks eerily similar to one of these examples, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team of expert web designers.

Want more website design tips? Read this article on what features to include on your website, or check out Big Red Jelly’s blog!