From the very first days of the internet, people have sought to carve a niche out for themselves and provide services, products and information to the masses. For the past twenty years or so, the internet has increasingly become a portal through which we can access virtually anything in the world we need to know or want, but not all websites are created equally. When it comes to web design, many websites miss the bar and create designs that can be counter-intuitive to plans for growth. More than eighty percent of internet users report that they have been led to mistrust a website in the past due to its layout. What web design mistakes are absolutely unacceptable? Continue reading to find out what you absolutely should not do if you want to be successful in the world of e-commerce and digital marketing.

Animations and Flashy Elements

In years past, it was pretty common to see a variety of animated GIFs and other aesthetics on the webpages of many businesses and websites. This was used as a way to show off the prowess of the newly developed web; many people were impressed when they encountered your flashing sirens and a message that said “under construction”. These days, however, refinements in technology have led to people pinging search engines for well-designed, modest and thorough websites that focus on professionalism more than capturing your attention. If you want to earn the trust of your readers, then you must avoid anything that appears childish: this means animations, bright colors and other immature elements.

No Mobile Solution

Now that more than one quarter of all internet traffic comes via mobile devices, you’d be a fool not to incorporate mobile design into your broader web design plans. Not only will poorly optimized sites lead to higher bounce rates and unsatisfied visitors, but you will also perform much worse in search engines as a result. Anyone who is pinging search engines without a mobile version of their site is bound to rank lower in SERPs for mobile devices. With three different options out there for converting your conventional website into a mobile template, you can pick the best one that works for your design ambitions.

Avoid Backgrounds

In most cases, backgrounds can be a great way to accentuate an existing web design. They become counter-intuitive, however, when they distract readers from the overall layout. It is a smart idea to avoid any backgrounds that consist of images, unless they have been drastically faded. Solid colors are a sure-fire way to keep readers’ attention spans fixated on your content. How many times have you landed on a website that has a contrasting background that makes the entire layout look highly unprofessional?

Conclusion

If you want to earn and maintain the trust of your readers and visitors, then you must avoid overt blunders when it comes to your site layout. Some of the biggest mistakes that people still make in this area relate to tacky backgrounds, unnecessary animations and a lack of mobile offerings. If you avoid these scenarios, then you can begin building a framework through which trust is earned based on the professionalism of your design.