4 Website Design Myths And The TRUTH Behind Them
Thomas Jefferson incorporated the pursuit of happiness into the Declaration of Independence, which led Americans to believe they could earn their happiness.
The interesting thing is, studies show that the more you pursue happiness, the less happy you’ll be.
Yet, the myth if you just try harder to be happy, you’ll simply be happy is alive and well all these years later.
If only it worked that way.
Myths are fascinating to me because there are so many that are common in life and business. No matter the industry, myths are everywhere, including website design.
In today’s digital landscape, you must understand your website's role in your business. Having a high-quality website generates leads for your business and increases sales and consumers care about their experience on your website.
In fact, 88% of them say they won’t return to a website if they have a bad experience (eh hem, they aren’t buying from you).
So, instead of letting you continue believing these false ideas, I thought I’d clarify a few and let you in on the truth behind them.
4 Website Design Myths:
Design is King
Design Dictates Content
Good Web Design Alone Generates Traffic
Once the Website is Launched, The Work is Done
Myth 1: Design is King
Your website’s job is to attract potential customers and convert them into qualified leads. But it is not just your pretty digital business card. It needs to be functional, reliable, and have up-to-date quality content.
Your website's functionality is paramount in helping you get a consumer from point A to point C. Remember that statistic from above that 88% of consumers won’t return to a website if they have a bad experience? Your website's functionality comes into play here.
You are a website user yourself, so you know how frustrating it is to go to a website that has broken links, slow-loading pages, outdated pages, etc. You will leave the website and find someone else to buy from.
Someone with a website that works well and is easy to navigate. GASP.
A website with bad readability not only affects SEO metrics but also frustrates visitors. Most of us are looking at screens all day and don’t have the patience to strain our eyes to read something. Ensure the colors on your website have enough contrast to be easy to read.
Other things to consider when focusing on readability are the use of center-aligned text, lengthy blocks of copy, and keeping all text the same size. It’s best to stick mostly to left-aligned text, particularly for blocks of text more than three lines. Avoid lengthy blocks of copy; keep your copy short and to the point on the main pages. You can even use bullet points to make it easier to read. Lastly, make sure you are using headings properly with bold and italicized words to bring emphasis.
Not only does Google value quality content, but so do your website visitors. Quality content helps you convey the expert status you have in your craft, leading to increased trust and credibility.
And what’s not to love about that?
I find many DIYers don’t put enough importance on updating the content of their websites. This quickly leads to outdated information and a dated look. A good goal is to go through your website quarterly and make sure your main pages are up to date with your correct pricing and services.
The takeaway: Design is super important, but it doesn’t trump functionality, readability, and quality content.
Myth 2: Design Dictates Content
This is where many DIY website builders go wrong. They purchase a template and begin writing and plugging in their content right there in the template.
I beg you, don’t do this.
I get it. You bought the template for a reason; use it! However, before you start deleting and replacing the copy with yours on the spot, copy and paste the placeholder copy into a Google Doc and begin writing headings, subheadings, and body copy there.
This will allow you to refine and edit your copy without feeling restricted by the design, and it will also help maintain the integrity of the template you purchased.
Throughout this process, you may find things you need to tweak in the template design to customize it for your business.
Even if you aren’t starting with a template and you are working with a designer, you will be asked to provide website copy. You can hire a website copywriter or purchase a website copywriting template, either way the design of your website is being dictated by the copy, not the other way around.
Your website is your business's 24/7 salesgirl; she is supposed to work hard to bring in leads at all hours of the day, which means your website copy needs to be strategic. This sounds counterintuitive, but if a website designer focuses on design first, they aren’t worried about your conversions. They should work the design around the copy to ensure it’s not only beautiful to look at but also makes you money.
The takeaway: Your website should be selling for you 24/7. This means you need strategic website copy backed by beautiful design. Make it strategic, then make it pretty.
Myth 3: Good Web Design Alone Generates Traffic
Some people still believe good website design alone generates traffic, but unfortunately, investing in a beautiful, strategically designed website means nothing if there aren’t eyeballs on it. 👀
There are over 1 billion websites on the Internet, so the odds of the right person finding you out of the blue are pretty darn low. This is why SEO is so important.
Search engines help generate traffic for your website, and your website's design can help convert those leads to sales. In that order…
But what are some simple ways to get search engines even to know your website exists?
Keywords in the right places
This relates back to good website copy. Not only does your website copy need to connect and convert, but it also needs to strategically place keywords into headings, subheadings, and body copy so that search engines can crawl your website and understand who they should show it to in search engine results.
Your keywords should also be strategically placed in your meta descriptions, alt text, image file names, and blog posts.
Website speed
Page speed is still a ranking factor for search engines, meaning how quickly or slowly your website loads will affect your ranking.
The statistics show that if a page takes longer than three seconds to load, the bounce rate triples. If the goal of search engines is to provide the most relevant websites that a user will stay on, they won’t show that site to users anymore.
You can check your website speed with services like Semrush or Ubersuggest to see what is slowing your website down so you can make the necessary changes.
Fresh, relevant content
You should prioritize creating fresh, relevant content for your website because search engine bots are constantly crawling these 1 billion websites, trying to understand what they are about and how they should appear in search results.
If your website hasn’t been updated in years, there is no reason for it to appear higher in search results. Not only should you keep the main page content updated, but one of the best ways to improve your ranking is through blogging.
If you thought the blogging days were over, you thought wrong.
The takeaway: While a good-looking website is important, it is not enough to generate traffic. In 2024, focusing on SEO is essential if you want to bring in leads to your website.
Myth 4: Once the Website is Launched, The Work is Done
As a business owner myself, I’d love to say things in my business were a set-it-and-forget-it kind of thing, but that’s not how it works, and it’s no different when it comes to your website.
While you don’t need to update your main pages regularly, it is important to assess them quarterly. This means going to your website as a user, clicking every button, and reading through each page to ensure everything is loading properly and the content on the pages is still relevant.
I have many clients who tell me that they put ‘update website’ on their to-do list throughout the year, only to have it fall right off the second something else pops up. There will always be more to do in business, but prioritizing your website should stay at the top of the list.
If you aren’t careful, a few quarters can pass by, and before you know it, your website is outdated and unaligned.
The takeaway: As your business evolves, your website will evolve with it. It is important to maintain it consistently to avoid having to make large overhauls.
In conclusion, your website should be beautifully designed and aligned with your brand, but it is way more than that. Try taking a holistic approach to your website and consider its functionality, relevant content, SEO, and ongoing maintenance.
Prioritizing your website in this way will increase its visibility, convert more leads, and make it easier to maintain.
If you are looking for a website designer who helps you focus on the right things while also giving you a website you’re obsessed with, take a look a my services to see if it would be a good fit for you.
