Even the most visually stunning websites can fall short if they neglect essential elements of design and functionality. Whether it’s a glitchy interface, navigation that doesn’t guide as expected, or pages that are slow to load, users just won’t stick around if the experience is flawed. Let’s keep your visitors coming back by identifying 11 website design and functionality flaws– and how to avoid them. 

A few seconds might not seem like a long time, but when you’re waiting for a blank screen to load, it feels like millennia, and who has patience for that? Long loading times can lead to frustration and a higher likelihood of users abandoning the site. Data from Blogging Wizard shows that the probability of a bounce increases by 32% when a page’s load time increases from 1 second to 3 seconds.

Automatically playing videos or music can be intrusive, especially if users are not given the option to easily pause or mute the content. Pop-ups and other advertising methods can also be annoying and disrupt the user experience. Even your chat tool, “cookies” disclosure, email signup, and promotional offers can be off-putting if a user is trying to read what’s underneath and cannot immediately locate the “X” button to close the window. 

You could be providing the highest quality product in the most attractive retail or workspace there is, but it’s not going to help your business if your photography doesn’t reflect that. Investing in a photographer/videographer to capture high-resolution content for your website can pay dividends in the long run.

Complex or confusing navigation can frustrate users, making it difficult for them to find the information or products they're looking for. A UX/UI audit ensures your navigation is functional and flawless, and tools such as Google Analytics can help determine if your navigation is effectively guiding users to your conversion goals. 

It’s 2024! If your site doesn’t load flawlessly on every type of device, visitors aren’t going to stick around. A mobile-first approach prioritizes the mobile experience rather than regarding it as a lower or secondary priority. 

A lengthy or overly complicated registration or checkout process increases the likelihood a user will bounce. Asking users for more information than necessary or making them work to select from a cumbersome list of options will discourage them from completing your form. For example, if your audience is in the United States, this could be as simple as placing that option at the top of the list, rather than making your users scroll all the way down to ”U” in the alphabet.

Broken links, 404 errors, or other technical issues can undermine the credibility of a website and frustrate users trying to access specific content. Check your site links regularly to ensure that you’re not directing users to a broken link, and fix redirect loops that cause increased load times. 

If you’re landing page doesn’t match the search engine title and description, or your copy is stuffed with keywords that aren’t relevant to the content, visitors are going to feel duped. Make sure your titles and meta descriptions accurately reflect your content, not just high-volume keywords. 

Offer your visitors options for contacting you that include more than just a phone number. Many people now prefer text, chat, or email options, and if you gain their trust by offering their preferred method of contact, they’ll be more likely to call when they’re ready. If you’re an eCommerce site, provide tools throughout your shopping cart process for users to reach out and get help. 

You don’t want readers to face a wall of text without any headings or paragraph breaks, for example. Make sure your information is organized in a way that’s easy to read and understand and doesn’t appear overwhelming. Remember, if it’s not easy for YOU to look at, you can’t expect visitors to look at it either. 

Rather than making users navigate away from a page to reach out to you, it’s a good idea to include a CTA on every page. This also gives you valuable insight into which pages visitors are reaching and engaging with.

Do any of these website gripes sound familiar to you? Talk to BoxCrush about a comprehensive website evaluation that can identify technical errors, content and design flaws, and other pain points. We’ll recommend improvements you can make to provide your audience with the fast, flawless, and delightful website experience they deserve. Use the form below or call us at 317-816-9353.