Web Design No-nos To Always Keep in Mind

Whatever purpose a web designer has in mind for creating a website, the bottom line is that it should always provide a great experience for its users.

Unfortunately, many web designers fall short in this regard, committing web design mistakes that do nothing but ruin the user experience. Here are some of those web design no-nos that you should keep in mind at all times.

Splash pages

A splash page is just a self-indulgent intro feature that offers nothing more than a button that says “enter site” most of the time. A splash page may be right for your portfolio as it lets you show off your skills, but as part of a site that people are supposed to visit, it is next to useless, and most users can’t stand them as they tend to take some time to load.

Too many ads

It’s alright for a website to have ads. After all, making money is one of the biggest reasons for a website to exist in the first place. But when ads take up a significant part of a page and overwhelm the content, there is something that’s inherently wrong there. They become even more annoying when they’re of the pop-up variety.

Poor navigation

No one likes getting lost within a website. When a user has no idea how to get to the page he or she wants to, go to and there isn’t a single navigation bar or site map in sight, you’re in trouble. That user will simply move on to the next site, and that site would likely be your competitor’s. Navigation should always be simple and engaging to encourage people to stay on your page just a bit longer.

Automatically-playing background music

If somebody ran an online poll about their biggest web design pet peeve, background music that automatically plays once they access a site will win by a landslide. Unless you want users to close your site tab automatically, do not integrate autoplays into your web design. If, for some reason, you have to have background music playing, include an “on” or “off” button so users can at least have control over the audio.

Zero mobile responsiveness

Considering that mobile users now outnumber PC users, it probably wouldn’t be too much to ask for a website to be mobile responsive. After all, being easily viewable on smartphones and tablets is in their best interest. Sadly, countless websites still break up when accessed on mobile devices, even when Google Search is already penalizing non-responsive sites in mobile searches.

Cluttered design

There is such a thing as TMI or too much information on a page. Many web designers cram as much content as they can onto a single page and end up with one that’s extremely cluttered and ultimately unreadable. Users like browsing through pages that look organized and clean with enough whitespace, so be a bit more selective about the content you put on your site so it won’t look cluttered.

Font style and color overload

Ideally, websites must have a look that’s consistent and cohesive. However, there are web designers who go wild with the many font styles and colors they have at their disposal. Each page must have a maximum of two or three fonts and colors, nothing more. Do more than that, and you’ll end up with a page that’s a hodgepodge of colors and fonts.