5 recurring website mistakes that could cost you a client

Having a website is essential for any business today. But between design and user experience, there is sometimes a yawning gap. It is easy to make mistakes — to think a practice or idea is good (and it may be, from a practical standpoint) when in reality it will be counterproductive from a user's perspective.

We have therefore listed 5 particularly common mistakes and the reasons why you will want to avoid them. Download the ebook "How to turn your website into a lead generator through educational content" for inspiration in your web communications strategy!

1. The carousel / slideshow

These images accompanied by text that rotate on the home page may seem attractive, aesthetic and practical. But they are in fact of little use: a carousel generates only 1 to 3% of clicks, the vast majority of which are concentrated on the first slide. Users broadly ignore the subsequent slides.

Moreover, a carousel can prove very frustrating for a visitor: they do not have time to read one piece of information before being forced on to the next slide.

If you really want to include a carousel on your site, here are a few tips to prevent it from becoming counterproductive:

• Opt for a carousel of images without text, if possible: you avoid the risk of frustrating the visitor.
• Include a play/pause button to give the visitor control over the carousel.
• Show the position of the current slide (using pagination) so the visitor can locate themselves within the carousel.

2. Pop-ups

Whether for an advert, a special announcement or a newsletter sign-up request, pop-ups frustrate and irritate visitors and prompt them to close the page.

Visitors are so accustomed to this practice that most close pop-ups instinctively, without even reading what they contain.

If you want to display a particular message to your visitors, opt instead for a panel that slides in from one side. More discreet, less obtrusive and far less intrusive, this type of panel will be far better received.

3. Fixed headers and footers

It is natural to want a fixed main menu: that means it remains visible at all times, regardless of where the visitor is on your page.

But be careful not to have a fixed main menu (header) AND a fixed footer simultaneously. This creates the impression of a closed site — one that traps you, that suffocates you.

This is particularly problematic for mobile users visiting your site on a smartphone.

If a fixed main menu can be useful, avoid combining it with a fixed footer.

4. Infinite scroll

As a general rule, it is inadvisable to trigger an action on a website that the visitor has not explicitly requested. Loading a page progressively as the user scrolls down (thus triggering infinite scroll) is one such practice that the visitor has not asked for.

One might see this as practical: the page loads incrementally, so it displays more quickly. And after all, Facebook uses infinite scroll perfectly and it is precisely what keeps users there for hours.

That is true. But Facebook is a social network and cannot be compared to a brand's website. And whilst a visitor may persist for a short while with infinite scroll, they are likely to tire of it very quickly, conclude that your page will never end, and leave.

Another issue with this practice: the scroll bar on the side of the page tells the visitor where they are on the page and how "long" it is. Infinite scroll makes this indicator unreliable since the page keeps getting longer as the user explores it.

Finally, from an SEO perspective, this is also a poor practice: content is hidden from Google (since it does not appear initially on the page) and will therefore rank poorly.

5. Autoplay audio

Or video. In fact, any media that plays automatically on your pages should be avoided. The visitor did not ask to listen to a particular piece of music or watch a particular video. Their first instinct will certainly be to pause it. Their second instinct will be to leave the page. They may even skip straight to that step if they take too long to find where the audio module is on the page.

One might think that music could help set the atmosphere of a website. Perhaps. But the fact remains that:

• it was not requested by the visitor.
• the visitor may not like it and will leave because of it.
• the visitor may already be listening to their own music (yours will therefore irritate them and may easily leave a negative impression).
• the music can distract the visitor from your website.

In fact, you could compare autoplay media to someone on the tube listening to their music at full volume. Annoyance, frustration, anger, a sense of intrusion — these are just some of the feelings (and lasting resentments!) such a practice can provoke.

If you still want to include music or videos on your site, by all means do so — but without autoplay: it will be up to the visitor to click if the content interests them. Always offer, never impose.

We hope these 5 practices will help you better understand your website's target audience and what they expect.

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