Nearly 40% of people will stop interacting with your website if it's poorly designed. Another 40% will leave if your page load times lag. In fact, conversions drop up to 20% per second of site load time.

Nearly 39% of users will judge your business based on the appearance of your site at a glance.

How your website looks and functions matters. Without quality, custom website design, you could miss potential leads and sales.

Here are nine signs your business needs to invest in new website design. After reading this guide, you can make an informed choice with your brand in mind. Read on to learn more!

1. Pages Lack Focus

First, each page on your site should have a focus. If you can determine a page's purpose, your visitors won't, either. Visitors might not know what to do once they reach the page.

If you confuse your visitors, they might leave without exploring your content. As people leave your website, your bounce rate will rise as dwell times will drop. These metrics can impact your organic search engine rankings.

As your search engine rankings drop, consumers could struggle to find your brand online. You'll miss the chance to generate brand awareness, traffic, leads, and sales.

Instead, make sure each page on your site provides the user with helpful, valuable information. Make sure each page has a distinct purpose, too. The purpose should remain clear in the:

  • URL
  • Headline
  • Imagery
  • Body text
  • Call to action

Use strong, compelling call to action language to generate more leads and sales.

Consider requesting a professional web design service if your pages seem confusing or cluttered. A team with experience designing business websites will ensure each page helps accomplish your goals.

2. You Neglect Mobile Users

There are now over 3.5 billion smartphone users around the world. Nearly 60% of all website traffic worldwide is generated through mobile phones. In fact, over 60% of smartphone users complete purchases on their mobile devices.

Run your website through Google's Mobile-Friendly Test. If you don't have a mobile-friendly website, you're likely neglecting these users. Consumers might leave your site, causing your bounce rate to increase.

You'll also miss the opportunity to convert these visitors into leads and sales.

Work with a custom website design agency to ensure your site is mobile-optimized.

Having a mobile-friendly website can benefit other areas of your digital marketing strategy. For example, Google will look at the mobile version of your site to determine your rankings. Your cost-per-click for PPC advertising could increase if your pages aren't mobile-friendly.

3. Inconsistent Branding

It can take multiple impressions in front of a consumer before you generate even a little brand awareness. Without brand awareness, consumers will turn to your competitors when they need your offerings. You can use your website to start generating brand awareness.

If the branding on your pages appears inconsistent, it's time for new website design.

Your branding includes your:

  • Mission statement
  • Vision statement
  • Voice
  • Tone
  • Personality
  • Imagery style
  • Logo
  • Color palette
  • Font styles

Make sure your logo appears in the top corner for every page. Link your logo to the homepage to improve the user experience, too.

Otherwise, make sure these brand elements match across every page.

If a visitor sees two different brands, they might think they landed on a different site. They could leave your site altogether.

4. Long Load Times

Neglecting your website's design could impact its functionality, too. For example, page elements could cause your site load times to lag. Long load times could scare visitors away.

Run your site through Google's PageSpeed Insights to determine what's causing your load times to slow. Otherwise, work with an experienced website design agency. They can use minimalistic design trends to improve your pages.

5. Unclear CTAs

Remember, a strong call to action can help you generate more leads and sales. If the CTA is confusing, however, visitors won't know what action to take.

Make sure your CTA is clear, concise, and compelling. Don't forget to make sure it aligns with the page's main purpose, too.

Consider how your CTAs appear on the page as well. Use a contrasting color between the background, button, and font. Otherwise, consumers might struggle to read the CTA.

6. Confusing Navigation

Improve your navigation to ensure your site is easy to explore.

You don't need to add every page on your site to the main navigation bar. Instead, display the most important pages.

Consider adding submenus on your core pages. Otherwise, add a sitemap to help visitors find what they need.

7. A Poor User Experience

A poor user experience (UX) could also discourage visitors from exploring your site.

Make sure your site appeals to Google's Core Web Vitals. These user-centric ranking factors can improve the user's online experience. A positive UX indicates your site is easy to use and explore.

While improving the UX on your site, make sure to consider your site's security, too. First, add a privacy policy to your site. If you accept payments on your website, make sure you have an SSL certificate.

8. Bad Readability

If visitors struggle to read your text, they might struggle to find the information they need.

Improve your content's readability by:

  • Organizing ideas into headings and subheadings
  • Avoiding jargon
  • Using shorter sentences and paragraphs
  • Choosing easy-to-read fonts

Don't forget to choose font options that align with your brand guidelines.

9. Poor Imagery

Avoid using cheap stock photos, which can make your brand look ingenuine. Instead, help visitors see the value you're offering. Use high-quality, branded images to show off your products and services.

Make sure the imagery suits your brand, too. For example, a family-friendly brand might use illustrations and animations. A professional corporate brand might choose photos of people in suits.

It's Time for a Change: Request New Website Design Services Today

Do these website design mistakes sound familiar? Consider investing in new website design this year. With custom website design, you can draw new customers to your brand.

You can turn your website into a lead-generating machine to ensure your company's growth.

Eager to get started? We're here to help.

Explore our plans and pricing today.