7 web design challenges holding your business back

6.30.23

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Creating an attractive, user-friendly website is essential in today’s digitally driven world.

WordPress, Shopify, and other site builder platforms market themselves as user-friendly services where “anyone can build an efficient website.” But the reality is that web design can often be more complicated than anticipated.

If this weren’t the case, creative agencies would not exist.

 Many of our clients have attempted do-it-yourself (DIY) web design projects, only to encounter challenges along the way.  If you are considering taking on the task of building your business website, here are seven web design challenges you may come across:

1. User Experience (UX)

This is undoubtedly the most significant web design challenge that you will encounter.

Creating a website with a strong user experience (UX) requires a professional understanding of the intended audience’s needs, objections, behaviors, and other relevant factors. This knowledge forms the foundation of the site’s navigation and structure. It’s also crucial for incorporating interactive elements into the website.

Trust us, crafting a UX design that excels on both desktop and mobile platforms is an immense undertaking, even for seasoned web designers.

Simply put, a seamless user experience is synonymous with an excellent website (and vis versa). Professional web designers possess extensive education and experience in UX principles. When you hire an expert designer, they will make sure these are properly implemented into your site with responsive web design.

2. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

A conversion occurs when a website user successfully fulfills the intended action of a specific webpage. This action can be a purchase, signing up for an email list, downloading an app, and so on.

Conversions are pretty much the lifeblood of any website.

The number of conversions you get will vary from month to month, occasionally falling slightly short of the monthly goals you have established. During such times, your webpages may require some TLC – also known as “conversion rate optimization (CRO).”

This process involves a deep dive into the web pages to understand what’s turning both desktop and mobile users off – followed by implementing necessary modifications to steer things toward a positive trajectory. But understanding which changes or updates are needed is not always black and white.

You’ll need to analyze the site’s data and do some creative problem-solving to make the right tweaks. This process requires advanced tools and the skillset to test and fine-tune the modifications made to the site.

Continuous conversion rate optimization is simply part of running a website. For business owners with limited experience, CRO will likely be one of your biggest web design challenges. This is where a creative agency will be most beneficial.

3. Creating a Scalable Website

Your website should be able to keep up with the growth of your business.

As your business scales, the major web design challenges will involve ensuring your website can handle increased traffic, accommodate new content, and integrate new features/programs. Above all, it is crucial to ensure that the changes you make do not negatively impact the loading speed of your web pages. This will become extremely difficult as you add new functionalities.

Site visitors have a notoriously low tolerance for slow-loading websites. When a page takes more than a second or two to load, most visitors have no hesitation in switching to your competitors’ websites. Studies have found that conversion rates are nearly 40% higher on websites that load in one second or less.

The key element in scaling a website revolves around having a well-designed database architecture capable of handling larger volumes of data. Ideally, this aspect should be accounted for in the initial website build. When you work with a skilled creative agency, they will make sure that your website is properly set up to avoid these web design challenges down the line.

4. Copywriting and Content Management

Without expertly crafted copywriting, websites are just a jumble of images and color schemes.

Yet, while anyone can type words on a page – it takes a seasoned expert to craft copy that effectively conveys information and compels visitors to take action. This job demands a keen understanding of language, human emotions, SEO best practices, and how to supplement design elements with words.

In addition to crafting web pages, you’ll need to consistently post educational content (like blogs and guides) and make updates to maintain user interest.

At Wildish Agency, we get a lot of clients who strongly believe they can handle writing their own content. After a few months, it becomes apparent that there is never enough time in the day -and they end up falling behind or delivering unusable text.

By collaborating with a reputable creative agency or partner, you can rest assured that they will prioritize providing you with professionally written web content. They will ensure the utilization of the appropriate Content Management System (CMS) and craft the content to align with your brand voice and goal.

5. SEO and Web Design

Search engine optimization (SEO) and web design go hand in hand. You may have an attractive website that looks great – but if you don’t take the necessary steps to optimize it for search engines – not many people are going to find your site.

When people search for your product and/or services on Google, you want to show up as close to the top as possible. For example, if you offer wedding planning services in New York City, you want to appear when someone searches for “wedding planner NYC.”

SEO is grouped into three categories: on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO. Some of the basic SEO tasks that every website should have include the following:

  • Thorough keyword research and effective utilization (on-page SEO)
  • High-quality content (on-page SEO)
  • Responsive website design (technical SEO)
  • Citation building (Off-site SEO)
  • Setting up and managing a Google My Business profile (off-site SEO)
  • Fast page load time (technical SEO)
  • Proper HTML tags (technical SEO)
  • Intuitive site structure and navigation (technical SEO)

 

Becoming proficient in SEO is not a task that can be accomplished in a single afternoon or leisurely weekend. It requires years of experience and dedicated effort. That’s why most designers or creative agencies work closely with an SEO specialist during the website construction process.

SEO is one of the biggest web design challenges that business owners run into. If your website is not constructed following the best practices, it will struggle to attract web traffic.

6. Accessibility

Web accessibility has gained significant attention over the past few years. What was once considered an added bonus to web design has now become a mandatory requirement for many industries in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. In a nutshell, accessibility is all about making sure that everyone, regardless of physical ability or disability, can access and interact with your website.

 Web accessibility may involve:

  • Including alt tags for images to assist visually impaired users
  • Providing sufficient color contrast for color-blind users
  • Integrating keyboard navigation options

 

While it is not mandatory for all businesses to have an accessible website, there are compelling reasons to prioritize web accessibility. By doing so, you enhance the user experience, improve SEO, and increase the potential to reach a wider audience.

 It’s safe to say that most novices do not understand the components of web accessibility and ADA compliance. Hiring a skilled designer and developer will ensure the proper integration of these principles.

7. Keeping Up with the Latest Web Design Trends

Much like the fashion industry, web design trends come and go – and it can be difficult for business owners with little web design experience to keep up.

Your website serves as the digital storefront for your company. As such, the last thing you want to end up with is the dreaded “outdated” look. The tricky part about web design trends is that they undergo such frequent changes that it becomes challenging for the untrained eye to notice.

To put things in perspective, take a look at the home page evolutions of some top brands. It’s astonishing to witness how layouts that appeared modern just a few years ago are now outdated.

Remaining at the forefront of modern web design trends requires continuous research, experimentation, creativity, and data analysis. It’s a challenge that can be daunting for business owners to tackle on their own.

Making changes to your website without the appropriate expertise can potentially harm your site’s user experience. Additionally, it’s important to understand that not all trends will be right for your business website. When you work with a professional web designer, they will analyze trends and incorporate the ones that will benefit your site most.

Set Yourself Up for Success

Building a website is an investment. It’s not just about looks – it’s about performance, usability, and accessibility.

As a business owner, you have likely engaged in your fair share of DIY-ing. But it’s important to recognize that your website serves as your company’s digital storefront. It won’t do any good if no one can find or use it properly.

At Wildish Agency, our web design experts take a comprehensive approach to creating modern websites. We plan, research, and develop your website to support your business goals now and in the future. No matter what your challenges look like, we’re confident we can meet your needs.

Contact us today to learn more!