Top Web Design Mistakes Ecommerce Businesses Make

Owners of ecommerce businesses will find it rewarding to take an active part in designing their website. Sometimes novice designers fall for the all-too-common trap of making color adjustments here and there and then before you know it your carefully-chosen theme is jarring and chaotic. What went wrong?

The root cause of most bad web designs is the same. You may notice that your web design is not looking right, but it's possible to fix it by avoiding these web design mistakes.

1. Too little white space

Whitespace refers to the space between paragraphs and photos on your website. It's basically all the empty space on the page. A common mistake made by novice web designers is to underestimate how much white space a design requires before it can "breathe." Because when you are in the thick of your design, too much white space can feel overwhelming. It won't look that way to users, so make sure to add consistent, healthy margins to your images, banners and headers.

You should ensure that the text overlays on top of header photos or other photos has plenty of white space. Avoid adding complex imagery to the text. Flat lay photos are very popular in web design because they allow for plenty of space for unobstructed text.

2. Too many competing elements

consistency is one theme that you will see in all these tips. This starts with the design decisions you make at the top when choosing the style and look that best represents your brand. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the number of options available to designers, such as stock photos, illustrations, and fancy buttons and icons. This is a recipe to disaster. If you don't like a particular style, stick with it. You can also find inspiration from other brands.

3. Incorporating photos that don't use your color palette

Now that you've updated your design settings, you now have a standard colour palette for your logo and header text. You're done! This is the error that can cause so much head-scratching. The photos must match your color palette. It can be confusing if you have a vibrant green palette and your lifestyle or product photos contain a lot more red. Also, too many color variations in photos can make it difficult to feel seamless.

This will prevent you from making a mistake. When selecting your images, remember color first. Many stock photo sites allow you to search by hex code to only view images that are a particular color. This can be used to your advantage to build a collection that will work well together and integrate with your website.

4. Using Inconsistent Image Sizing

Uploading images is the fastest way to send off a template-course. You can correct this issue by grabbing the size suggestions for the image slot you are interested in and cropping your image to the specifications before uploading it to the site. Don't rely on an image platform's auto-crop to do this. Although many images automatically adjust to a preset size, there are always exceptions. Auto-crop tools won't allow you to control the way your image is cropped. This can lead to a composition that doesn't match what you desire.

5. Overusing Fancy Fonts

When it comes to fonts readability is crucial. That means the fonts that often feel the most "boring"--high-contrast, sans-serif, and simple--are actually your best options. A minimalist font is best for body text, while a bolder font is better for headers and large text. This allows you to stand out while still keeping readability and usability top of mind.

Last Thoughts

Remember that simplicity and consistency are the key to your brand's success. Your design should not obscure your brand's story. When editing your work, be open to opportunities to simplify and unify the elements. You'll eventually find the balance that makes your brand shine and converts more clients.