6 Common Website Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them

Many businesses today become so enamoured by visual aesthetics when designing their websites that they overlook a crucial factor: user experience (UX). At first glance, these visually impressive sites might captivate visitors, but often users find themselves struggling to locate desired information or complete essential tasks.

This misalignment between beauty and functionality can result in frustration, lost sales, and diminished brand credibility. By prioritising careful planning and user journey mapping through techniques such as wireframing, these common pitfalls can be effectively avoided.

User Journey Mapping: A Critical First Step

Before investing heavily in graphic design, companies must first ensure their websites deliver a seamless and intuitive user journey. Wireframing—creating skeletal outlines that map content placement and user interactions—is essential in establishing a clear, logical flow. This practice allows businesses to identify and resolve potential navigation issues early, significantly improving overall user satisfaction and engagement.

Image Optimisation and Site Speed

A site’s usability extends beyond its navigational structure; performance plays an equally significant role. One common oversight involves the improper optimisation of images. Large, uncompressed images can severely slow website loading speeds, a critical issue considering current statistics show that nearly two-thirds of visitors will abandon a website that takes more than three seconds to load. Beyond frustrating visitors, slow-loading sites also suffer in terms of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), as Google prioritises speed and performance in its ranking algorithms.

Mobile Adaptability: A Necessity, Not an Option

In 2025, mobile adaptability is no longer optional—it’s mandatory. With the continued growth of smartphone use and mobile browsing, particularly for e-commerce, a website must deliver an impeccable experience across all devices.

Even the most visually striking desktop designs must adapt fluidly to smaller screens without sacrificing usability or speed. Businesses whose customer base is predominantly mobile should even consider adopting a mobile-first design approach, where mobile compatibility is prioritised from the outset, ensuring an exceptional user experience regardless of the device.

Accessibility: Designing for All Users

Accessibility remains a frequently overlooked aspect of UX design, despite its increasing importance in 2025. Designing a website with accessibility in mind means considering users with disabilities who might use screen readers, voice commands, or alternative input devices.

Ensuring that your website is inclusive can expand your audience significantly, improve SEO, and protect your business from legal risks associated with non-compliance to accessibility standards such as WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).

Continuous UX Testing and Feedback

A successful website is never truly finished; continuous testing and user feedback are essential. Regularly monitoring user interactions through analytics, heatmaps, user surveys, and usability tests can provide valuable insights into where improvements are needed.

By maintaining an iterative process of testing and refinement, businesses can adapt to changing user expectations and technology advancements, staying ahead of competitors in the digital landscape.

Integrating UX with Business Goals

Finally, user experience should always align with your broader business objectives. Whether the goal is increased conversions, user engagement, or customer retention, UX strategies must be crafted intentionally to support these outcomes.

Clearly defining success metrics and regularly reviewing performance against these metrics ensures that design and usability efforts are directly contributing to overall business success.

How Platform81 Can Enhance Your Website

At Platform81, we take a holistic approach to web design and development. Our dedicated Web Design team is deeply committed to creating visually appealing sites without ever compromising user experience. Simultaneously, our skilled Web Development experts ensure optimal site performance, adaptability, and functionality.

Whether your current website needs performance optimisation, a modern refresh, or a complete redesign from the ground up, we are here to assist. Reach out to Platform81 today and discover how we can elevate your online presence, creating a website that not only looks great but performs exceptionally, keeping your users engaged and your business thriving.