5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Designing a Website

5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Designing a Website

Ah, web design. It’s an intoxicating mix of creativity, logic, and—let’s be honest—a touch of frustration. If you've ever found yourself staring at a screen thinking, “Why does this look like a 2005 MySpace page?”—trust me, you’re not alone.

Designing a website is like cooking a fancy meal. You need the right ingredients, a solid recipe, and—most importantly—you have to avoid setting the kitchen on fire. (Speaking from experience here.)

So, whether you're building your first website or looking to improve an existing one, let’s talk about five common mistakes that can make or break your site. Avoid these, and you’ll be well on your way to a website that not only looks great but actually works.

1. Ignoring Mobile Users (Seriously, Why?!)

Let me paint you a picture. You excitedly Google a restaurant’s menu on your phone. The site loads, but—uh oh—the text is microscopic, and you have to pinch and zoom like a detective searching for clues. Frustrating, right?

Now, imagine your own website doing the same thing to potential customers. Yikes.

The Problem:

• Over half of web traffic comes from mobile devices (and that number keeps growing).
• If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, users will bounce faster than a rubber ball on concrete.
• Google prioritizes mobile-friendly sites in search rankings.

The Fix:

• Use responsive design (your site should adapt to different screen sizes).
• Test your website on multiple devices—don’t just assume it looks fine.
• Make sure buttons and links are easy to tap (nobody wants to play “guess where the link is”).

2. Slow Load Times: The Silent Killer of Engagement

If your website takes longer than three seconds to load, I have some bad news: most people have already left. We live in a world where waiting feels like torture. (Remember waiting for dial-up internet? Yeah, let’s not go back there.)

The Problem:

• Slow load times kill conversions. If your site drags, people will leave—fast.
• Search engines factor page speed into rankings, so a slow site = bad SEO.
• Images, bloated code, and bad hosting are often the culprits.

The Fix:

• Compress images (you don’t need a 5MB picture of your coffee cup).
• Use a quality web host (cheap hosting often translates to slow performance).
• Minimize unnecessary plugins and scripts (extra code = extra seconds).
• Leverage caching and content delivery networks (CDNs) to speed things up.

3. Terrible Navigation: Don’t Make Visitors Feel Lost

Your website’s navigation should be like a well-placed road sign—clear, obvious, and easy to follow. But too many websites feel like an escape room where visitors have to solve riddles just to find basic information.

The Problem:

• Cluttered menus overwhelm users.
• Hidden navigation (looking at you, mysterious hamburger menus) can confuse people.
• If visitors can’t find what they need quickly, they’ll leave—simple as that.

The Fix:

• Stick to simple, logical navigation (Home, About, Services, Contact—keep it clean).
• Keep menu options to a reasonable number (five to seven max is a good rule of thumb).
• Use breadcrumbs or internal links to help guide visitors.
• Test your navigation with real users—what makes sense to you may not make sense to them.

4. Clashing Colors & Bad Fonts: Your Eyes Deserve Better

Listen, I get it. You want your site to stand out. But there’s a fine line between bold design and an assault on the senses. (Remember the neon green text on black backgrounds from the early 2000s? Let’s not go there.)

The Problem:

• Hard-to-read fonts strain the eyes and drive visitors away.
• Poor color contrast can make text unreadable.
• Inconsistent colors and typography make your site look unprofessional.

The Fix:

• Use a simple, readable font (Google Fonts has great free options).
• Stick to a cohesive color palette (tools like Coolors can help you pick a scheme).
• Ensure there’s enough contrast between text and background (black text on a white background works for a reason).
• Keep font sizes large enough to read easily (14-16px for body text is a solid starting point).

5. No Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): Tell Visitors What to Do

Imagine walking into a store where the employees just stare at you awkwardly instead of helping. That’s what a website without a clear call-to-action feels like.

Your visitors need direction. Do you want them to sign up? Buy something? Contact you? Don’t leave them guessing!

The Problem:

• Many websites forget to include a clear CTA.
• Some sites overwhelm visitors with too many options (which leads to decision paralysis).
• A weak CTA (like “Click here!”) doesn’t inspire action.

The Fix:

• Make your CTA obvious and compelling (“Get Started,” “Request a Free Quote,” “Sign Up Now”).
• Use contrasting colors to make your CTA stand out.
• Place CTAs strategically—above the fold, at the end of blog posts, in the navigation menu.
• Don’t clutter your page with too many different CTAs—focus on what matters most.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, your website should be a seamless experience for visitors, not a frustrating puzzle. Avoiding these five mistakes will put you miles ahead of many websites out there.

Need expert help getting your website just right? White Mountain Solutions specializes in crafting beautiful, functional websites that don’t just look great—they actually work.

Because let’s face it—life is too short for bad websites.