If your website’s a little dull and boring— don’t worry, you’re not the only one. Today, we’re going to tackle some of the things that you immediately need to remove from your website.
If your site was designed a few years back, there’s probably a list of things on there that you’ll do better without. Some of its features might make you look outdated, and some are actually security risks!
Here are the things you need to consider getting rid of:
The Obvious Stock Photos
Photos, especially high-quality ones, have definitely been shown to boost engagement and conversions— but if they’re not considered to be genuine by your audience, particularly with the millennials, they’re just not going to buy it.
Not only are they cliché, but when people see them and know they’re stock photos, they’ll likely leave your site and won’t trust your brand. Instead, you can choose to do either of these things:
Custom Photography- If you have a budget for that, then do it. Make use of high-resolution photos like pictures of your staff members or the interior of your office— that kind of thing.
High-quality stock photos- You may still use them, but you have to choose very carefully. There are actually newer versions of stock photos that do not seem as cliché as the old ones do. They may still be a little scripted and corporate, but most of them have that authentic look and Instagram-worthy photos. Choose wisely.
The Social Media Icons In Your Header
I know you want to get more followers on all your platforms that’s why you placed those icons in your header. However, the problem with having them in such a prominent place is they’re noticeable and brightly coloured.
Here’s the thing, you’ve pumped up your efforts to draw in people to your website, and now you’re just inviting them to leave. When you put those icons in such a prominent location, you’re really just luring them away from your website and onto your social media platforms— which you may think is a great thing. But then again, what happens on social media? They’ll see posts from their friends, and the tendency is they’ll get lost in the process, and they’ll probably forget to come back to your site.
The solution? Make use of social widgets instead. These widgets allow people to tweet about you, or like your page, or share your post, all within the environment of your website. They’re still buttons— just a smarter version.
The Email Links
If you have bio pages for your staff or anything similar to that, a pervasive thing most website owners do is to include a link to their emails. Here’s the problem with that: they attract email spam which can also be a security risk, as most hackers use emails as their point of entry.
Top Web Design agencies recommend using email forms instead. Emails sent using forms are more convenient because they’re traceable so that you can route them into various folders and sub-folders with your email program. You can also filter out client requests from intern applications, so you know what you’re looking at.
The Suggested Videos
This one is a little more under the radar. You may not be familiar with it, but if you use videos anywhere on your site, it would be wise to disable the YouTube suggested videos.
What happens is, at the end of a YouTube video, there are some pretty exciting “suggestions” for other related videos you might want to watch. Now they can just be random and unrelated videos— but you have considered the probability that they could be showing videos of your competitors.
Here’s an easy fix for that problem: Click the share option from the video player on YouTube, then click ‘embed’, then choose ‘show more’ which will open up more options for you. After that, scroll down and uncheck the option ‘show suggested videos when the video finishes. From there, grab the newer version of the embed code, and you’re all set!
Utilize these tips to make your website even more functional and user-friendly!
Web Design Methods
