Simply optimizing the design of your website can lead to over a 100% increase in the number of clicks you get as well as the volume of visitors. However, in most cases, webmasters emphasize a clutter-free layout for their website.

Creating a website is not enough. You have to be aware of the common web design myths so you can sidestep them. The worst part is that these myths can end up hurting your business. Surely, you don’t want your bottom-line to suffer because your website doesn’t load quickly enough!

You will find a lot (and we mean A LOT) of bogus information about web design on the internet. These web design myths can lead to you wasting your time and resources on a site that doesn’t deliver the results you expect. Hence, it’s important that you always work with a professional web design company.

You may wonder how the quality of your website’s design will affect your business. Poor user experience can drive people away from your website. Every visitor that clicks away without entering the sales funnel is a customer lost. In other words, your design can hurt your business.

Let’s debunk six common myths you need to ignore when designing your website:

Myth #1: You Don’t Need A Mobile Version Of Your Site

Just ask yourself this question: would you buy from a brand whose website doesn’t look and/or function properly on your phone? More than 80% of online consumers use more than two devices, on average. Your website has to be available to them on all the devices they might be using, no matter how big or small the screen may be.

Many webmasters still ignore the importance of responsiveness when designing for mobile platforms. The fact of the matter is that a majority of people access the internet using mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. If your website doesn’t render well on their screen, they are likely to click away. They will probably end up on your competitors’ site. The numbers clearly paint a picture when it comes to assessing the importance of mobile web design:

• Research shows over 60% of businesses saw an increase in their sales after creating a responsive mobile version of their site.
• Moreover, close to 70% of consumers are more willing to make a purchase on a website if it loads perfectly on the device they are using.
• Don’t ignore the fact that 80% of online shoppers conduct their transactions on smartphones.

These three statistics show that you need to create a mobile version of your site. Keep in mind that you cannot expect visitors to wait forever for your website to load properly on mobile devices. And that can be a concern if you don’t optimize your site to work on any device, regardless of the screen size. The simple solution here is that you should go responsive to your website. Or you risk missing out on potential customers, all the while finding it difficult to retain existing ones.

Myth #2: Content Doesn’t Affect Design

Close to 40% of visitors to your site will bounce off right away if you don’t offer attractive content.

Content is king is almost a cliché now, a line every designer rattles off when working on a new project. Yet, even experienced professionals take a gung-ho approach to design a website, working without enough content in place. The rule of thumb is to create a wireframe and add dummy text.

The right way to go about things is creating the content first and design the site around it. You have to keep in mind the fact that the reason a person visits your site is to learn more about your business. By ignoring, or at least putting it on a backburner, you are not respecting your visitors’ and what they want. You might assume you can dazzle all comers with the cool web design you select. But, if your content doesn’t offer the information they seek, you are only driving them away.

Keep in mind that you can get away with quality content and average design, but not the other way around. When using dummy text, you are more or less restricted to the shape of the filler content. In this regard, you are reducing content to a visual element, rather than as a medium for providing the information your visitors seek.

Myth #3: Accessibility Matters More Than Aesthetics

Visitors to your website don’t mind clicking on multiple tabs or pages to locate their desired content. In fact, close to 50% of people visiting your website probably check out the products and services page before they head to any other section.

Yet, new web design trends revolve around improving accessibility, often at the cost of aesthetics. Making navigation simple is important. Yet you cannot compromise on the visual appeal of your website to offer convenience to your visitors. The average visitor gives aesthetics 75% weight when determining your site’s credibility. In other words, your business’ reputation will suffer if you don’t pay attention to aesthetics when designing your website.

Also, good aesthetics can prove important in offering visitors a superior user experience. You are likely to receive positive feedback from clients if your website is neat and easy to navigate, as well as pleasing to the eyes. The key takeaway here is that you cannot overlook any areas of the website when finalizing the aesthetics. A cohesive color scheme and design theme can do the trick for you!

Don’t fall for the misconception that your website should be generic or boring if you want to improve accessibility. Any web design company with the right level of expertise and experience will be able to provide the ideal solution in this regard. In fact, you should avoid working with a designer who throws up their hands when presented with a challenge to design an aesthetically appealing site that is highly accessible.

Myth #4: User Feedback Can Be Conclusive

According to a survey, 95% of internet users concur that user experience is the most pertinent factor when determining the quality of a website.

The law of transference suggests that visitors will consider the quality and standard of your website as the quality they can expect from your business. Your business’ reputation thus depends on how well your site functions, and more significantly, the user experience you are able to offer. As mentioned, a smooth user experience can help lower your bounce rate and compel visitors to spend more time on your website. Or, you have a better chance of converting visitors into leads and eventually into paying customers.

Despite the importance of user experience, only 55% of companies invest resources in testing the user experience they offer. You are building your website for users. So users are in the best position to provide feedback on their experience. Yet, one of the enduring web design myths is that user feedback counts for little if anything at all. The fact remains that any feedback you glean from your visitors can help you with testing the online user experience.

Offering a decent user experience gives you the chance to direct visitors towards taking the action you desire from them. The catch is that you have to ask questions that are to the point. You cannot seek descriptive answers from users. You have to infer data from their feedback. The more specific their responses, the more value you will get from this exercise.

Myth #5: The Homepage Is The Most Important Part Of Your Site

Did you know that over 60% of the visitors to your site would like you to share your business’ contact details on the homepage? Moreover, close to 45% will leave your site if they don’t find the contact information they are seeking.

These numbers clearly show that people are using your homepage as a springboard to learn more about your website. Despite this, the importance of the homepage remains the basis of a common myth: web design revolves around the homepage. Previously, the homepage may have held a considerable value from a visitor’s point of view. It served as the navigational hub, with visitors finding links to all the other sections on the website. However, user behavior underwent a seismic shift over the years.

In some cases, visitors land on a product page or a landing page rather than the homepage of your website. This situation is prevalent when they click on a banner or link to reach your site. The growing emphasis on SEO and digital marketing means the inner pages of your website are equally, if not more, accessible than the homepage. Take the example of websites that update content on a regular basis. The homepage is simply a welcome page providing visitors’ access to the inner pages.

Make no mistake; you need to create an eye-catching and functional homepage that offers a great user experience. However, the page just isn’t as important as most webmasters assume it to be. In reference to the point mentioned above, content trumps design. You should follow this directive when designing your homepage.

Myth #6: All The Action Is ‘Above The Fold’

Perhaps the most absurd of all web design myths is that people don’t like scrolling down a web page. This reason is why over 60% of Fortune 500 websites have content above the fold. The average loading time for these websites is more than six seconds.

There may be no direct link between the two statistics above. But there is no doubt that visitors are unlikely to spend that much time waiting for a website to load. Close to 50% of internet users expect the average site to load within a couple of seconds. This part is where the importance of good user experience comes into the picture. People don’t mind scrolling down or even viewing multiple pages to find the desired information. Hence, you don’t have to cram everything above the fold.

The main consideration here is that you cannot compromise user experience. Your website has to be accessible, aesthetically appealing, and at the same time, load quickly. Combine all these factors and you can get the results you are seeking from your website design.

Conclusion

As promised, we highlighted six web design myths that can hurt your business, should you fall for them. Now you are in a better position to design a website that impresses your audience, offers a great user experience, and helps convert visitors into leads. With less than two seconds to capture their attention, you cannot afford to let visitors feel unimpressed by what they see!