13 Myths about Web Design That Can Hurt Your Business

Myths are beliefs that people hold that are not necessarily true. People have created myths on just about anything - from food, places, jobs and even the tech world.

Despite not being true, people tend to hold onto myths religiously and this can influence their decisions in a negative way. The business world is not free of myths that make companies lose money if decisions are made based on those stories. In web development, there are many myths that affect beginners due to their low awareness of industry standards. In this article, we will examine 13 myths about web design that you should not take into consideration, because they could potentially hurt your business, particularly if you are not hiring an experienced web design company like Max Burst.

The most important aspect of a website is appearance

Many people think that the appearance of a website is critical. Though it is important to consider this aspect during design, it should not be the single most important aspect that web designers should be focused on. However, most designers spend a lot of time trying to make a website look beautiful at the expense of other aspects that require more attention. In web development, design does not necessarily mean making a website look good. The website design myth comes alive when designers limit their view of design to just graphics, images and visuals. The presentation of a website is a very important aspect in the process of designing it, but it is just a small part of a much bigger picture. Having content that is relevant to visitors and making it easy for users to navigate - here are the two aspects that should preoccupy designers. After all, what’s the point of having a site that does not bring you paying customers?

The page that matters most is the homepage

This myth gets most web designers focusing more on the home page than on any other page because they think it is the most important one. This is not necessarily true; this page can serve as an entry point to other pages. As a matter of fact, it just needs to be simple enough to enable your visitors access to every other part of the site because it is typically impossible to have all the important information you want them to see on the homepage. It does matter and I think this article on Land Scape Leadership has effective information over this point.

It is expensive to design a good website

This myth causes many people to link the design of a good site to high cost. This is not necessarily true because these days, there are lots of designers who develop quality websites at reasonable prices. At the same time, there are content management systems such as Joomla, WordPress and Weebly that can help you achieve your web design goal easy and fast at affordable prices.

You don’t have to integrate email marketing to your website

This is a huge misconception that has companies losing business to their competitors. In this era where internet access has grown rapidly, you need to tap into email marketing to stay ahead of the competition. You can use email marketing to keep your brand on your customer’s minds by sending them regular updates on offers through newsletters. I found this article informative and I suggest you to read once to get some ideas.

It is not necessary to make a site compatible with mobile gadgets

Most web developers overlook the need to make the websites they create compatible with mobile gadgets such as phones and tablets. This is despite the fact that 40% of the people who access the internet do so using their tablets and smartphones as opposed to laptops and desktops. This is a huge oversight because statistics show that these gadgets actually account for over 35% of web traffic. This issue is so important that Google has now began to consider the extent to which sites are accessible via mobile devices when indexing sites. As such, web designers need to make the sites they design mobile-friendly so that those who own the sites do not miss out on potential customers.

Free websites are better

Everybody loves a freebie, and this myth is based on that. However, when it comes to setting up an online platform such as a website, you are better off avoiding free sites because it usually comes with a catch. For starters, the free template you pick will come with numerous ads – so you’ll have those running on your site. At the same time, the domain name that will be available to you may not be a true reflection of your business. Also, you will not have total control of your website. So, if you really want your business to stand out online, stay away from free websites.

Orientation toward sales is not necessary

Those who propagate this myth believe that increasing sales and return on investment is the reason why you create a website. However, they also think that the site should not serve as a sales tool because not everyone who visitors the website will be ready to buy something. They believe that visitors should be given a strong reason to choose to buy from you and not from your competitors. The fact is that, if you are doing a sales oriented site, then fill it with buttons and graphics that beg your visitors to click on them. Creating a sales oriented website requires you to create content that is rich and easy to navigate so that your visitors are encouraged to keep coming back.

It is not necessary to place social media buttons on the site

Social media platforms have increased tremendously in recent years, from Facebook and Twitter to Google+ and Instagram – and the list continues to grow. The myth around adding social media buttons on sites states that connecting a site with each social media platform consumes a lot of time and requires the owner to put so much effort into it in order for it to work. However, the truth is that social media is at the core of not just driving traffic to your site, but also improving your site ranking on search engines. It is actually easier to include social media buttons on a website than to share the content you place on your site on every social media platform. By doing so, you make it easier for your clients to share content because social media pages are within reach, just a click away.

Content is a secondary requirement in web design

Many web designers use dummy text as their wireframe when developing a website. This makes the design look unrealistic and creates an illusion that real content is not a primary requirement, but a secondary one. The truth is that, when people visit a website, it is because they are searching for information. They browse the website for content, not for its design. Content is an integral part of user interface and a website that has a simple design, but high quality content can serve its owners much better compared to one that has a great design but low quality or dummy content.

Design has everything to do with making a site attractive

This myth makes many designers view web design as a process of creating a decorated website. They see the goal of web design as making sites attractive as opposed to how it works. The truth is, web design is about creating form AND function. In fact, the main aim of designing a website is to solve a particular problem based on the expectations of its users. At the same time, the tools that designers use surpass typography and colours. They include prototyping, research, navigation, testing, user experience and much more.

There is no need to update websites

It is a common myth that once you create a website, it will never need to be updated. But the opposite is really true – once you get a website developed, it needs to be updated regularly so it reflects current trends. This is because trends on web design evolve alongside web browsers and devices. As such, it is important for web designers to regularly expand and update the sites they design with new concepts and ideas so they run well.

Clogging a site with features makes it better

There is a misconception that the more features a website has the better it is. But this can end up pushing your customers away. The best thing to do is to include those features that your visitors need to navigate through the website and achieve what they want. Any other features that do not help them achieve this are unnecessary and will only end up clogging your website.

You should love your website

It is a long standing myth that site owners create websites for themselves and not for their visitors. This myth tends to keep web designers from really understanding the needs of the users and the information they need. Before designing a website, it is important to find out why you are doing so and what your visitors are looking for. This helps you determine what to place on the site in order to convert visitors into potential customers.