Your website is the digital identity of your business. It can make or break the first impression of your business. Maintaining a fresh, up-to-date website that is easy to use and visible on search engines helps generate more relevant and quality leads. Businesses must adapt to the market in order to remain relevant to their customers. You’ll need to keep updating your web design and content to reflect any changes in your business. If your website does not accurately represent what you have to offer, you should consider updating it. In this blog post, we will talk about 12 ways how an outdated web design can hurt your business. Let’s begin.

What makes a website design outdated?

Your website is the first point of contact for potential customers. An old and out-of-date website conveys the impression that you don’t have time to focus on a critical aspect of your business. It implies that you are unconcerned about your customers’ needs. Visitors form an opinion about a website in 0.05 seconds. The last thing you want is for them to see one that does not reflect your current brand, customer engagement, or overall business personality.

Statistics That Prove Why An Outdated Web Design Is Bad In 2022

• 42% of customers leave a website because of poor functionality.
• 31% of people prefer engaging user experience hence, it should be the website owner’s top priority.
• 5% of consumers leave a website because of slow loading time.
• 1% of customers leave because a website is poorly responsive on multiple devices.
• 5% of people leave a website because of an outdated web design.
• 8% of low conversions happen because of poor web design
• 4% high bounce rate is because of an outdated web design.

There are many signs you can notice to know that your website is outdated. Here are the major ones.

●    Sliders with unnecessary call to action

According to various surveys, sliders with meaningless call-to-action buttons distract users from the true purpose of their visit. They not only slow down the loading speed of the website, but they also slow down users’ attempts to navigate and reach other parts of the website.

●    AutoPlay videos and audios

The auto-play video and audio add a lot of sound to an already off-kilter state caused by being overwhelmed by so much media. Many advertisements and campaigns begin as soon as you enter the website and give the user little to no control over when they end or begin.

●    Big images

When we say huge or large images, we mean images that take up a large portion of your homepage. A single image or series of images with an action button can be used. They may appear to be very cool from a design standpoint, but users have different opinions. The approach can be followed by keeping the call to action in the forefront and easily visible standard-sized images.

10 Major Problems With Outdated Website Design

Certainly, there are many problems that come with outdated website design.

• High-bounce rate
• Non-responsive
• Slow page load speed
• Infrequent website update
• Low lead generation results
• Ineffective call-to-action
• Outdated website content
• Outdated design elements

10 Outdated Website Design Trends To Avoid In 2022

As a website owner, you want to keep up with the latest trends and get ideas from your competitors every year. On the other hand, we’ve seen that following these trends too closely can make you feel like you’re only seeing the same old, boring patterns over and over again. Let’s look at the most out-of-date ways to design a website that you should just stop doing.

1. Complex or intricate design

We consume a lot of information in this fast-paced lifestyle. Brands have a short time to set themselves apart through marketing and it’s hard to attract people to websites with complicated designs. If this happens, people will probably not pay attention to these designs, and your goal will not be met. So, make sure the design of your website is simple and easy to focus on.

2. Dull color palettes

The key is to keep things simple but not miss the colourful part. Several IT site designers have reviewed that clients often ask for bright colors for their branding. They want designs that are more unique and have a conversational feel. Natural color palettes and color schemes with fewer shades are no longer popular. We can also expect design trends in 2022 to have more color, which will help them stand out.

3. Poor Analysis of Google Ranking

Google is constantly striving to enhance the quality of its search results. Their goal is to always provide a list of the best websites or resources to each and every searcher. They are constantly updating and refining their algorithm in order to improve the quality of search results. If your website design is not according to Google algorithms, odds are your Google ranking will drop.

4. Not upgrading the website frequently

Having an outdated website design is equivalent to putting a ‘Close sign for your business’ in the window. That’s terrible but unfortunately true! When you visit a website that hasn’t been updated for years and has no good design, you wonder if the company is still alive! This can literally turn off the customers and cost you thousands of dollars with a revenue cut.

5. Excessive use of gradients

Design trends like gradients are frequently used by major platforms like Instagram and Tinder. However, as we’ve seen, when we pursue simplicity to its logical conclusion, it transforms into elegance. Simplicity has always been at the forefront of the graphic design profession. However, we’ve recently seen some designers overuse gradients and distracting features, which can distract the users’ attention from the overall design.

6. Using all available white space

Earlier, designers were praised for filling out empty spaces in every design piece. It’s a misconception that designing something with no white spaces would be unique and appealing. The design must be cluster-free to create a unique statement in terms of designing trends in 2022. Filling in the gaps will only make the designs look cluttered and disorganized. Nonetheless, if you know how to make it appear unusual and not clustered, it is worth the risk.

7. Geometric, abstract, and organic forms

What is it about rounded edges that make them so popular for buttons and contact forms? This is explained by the subconscious association of sharp corners and edges with danger which increases click rates by making them more appealing. Additionally, organic forms aid users in navigating a website or application. You can create direct focus and appropriately lead visitors through your design with their gentle and subtle assistance.

If you use this method too frequently, your entire product may lose its shape, which will confuse customers and cause them to leave your page.

8. Thriving on stock photography

Stock images abound in rookie designers’ design trends, making them easy to spot. We understand how stock photos can help bring your ideas to life. However, using high-quality images may exceed your budget or resources. Designers have also used stock images to break up the monotony of their designs. Pre-shot images should be used only as a backup.

9. Dark background designs

A dark backdrop is exceptional in a few cases, for say while creating a website, a presentation or an ad or an app. Many instant messaging and news sites, for example, provide ‘day’ and ‘night’ mode options, allowing you to avoid disturbing others while checking updates late at night while also saving energy for your mobile display.

If you want to project movies or static advertisements onto a wall, white lettering against a dark background may be more practical than vice versa. This strategy, however, only works for small text; when we read larger white-colored text, the eyes get strained, and customers are more likely to abandon the website.

10. Vector illustrations to display abstract ideas

In today’s digitalized marketing world, vector illustrations have proven to be a go-to option. However, low-resolution illustration helps in faster website loading leading to a higher traffic rate.

12 Ways How A Poor Or Outdated Website Design Can Hurt Your Business

The following are the ways in which an outdated website design can be dangerous for your business.

1. Inconsistent style

If your site has a contradictory color palette, does not follow typographic best practices (kerning, leading, tracking, etc.), or uses inconsistent typography [multiple fonts and font sizes], it will not project a professional image to your audience and will likely turn off prospective customers. To avoid style clashes and to achieve a consistent look for your web or e-commerce site, create a brand style guide first and adhere to it throughout your website design.

2. Compatibility issues with web browsers

Your website must work with all web browsers. If your website’s design is overly complicated and frequently breaks, it may be a sign that you need to update it. Make sure your website works seamlessly on web browsers like Safari, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and others. It will improve user experience and reduce drop-offs and missed sales opportunities.

3. Inadequate responsive design

Responsive web design allows your site to adjust to the size of the screen on which it is being viewed. Websites must be formatted for different screen sizes in order to improve user experience and SEO results. According to Statista, mobile devices account for roughly half of all web traffic globally. If your website does not respond to mobile devices, you will lose a lot of traffic.

4. Outdated imagery

When creating a new website, it is critical to choose images that positively impact the website’s objectives. Stock photography can be useful for blogs and social media, especially when you need an image quickly but lack the resources. Using images you’ve supplied yourself for your website can make the web design feel more authentic to your brand and vision.

5. Conversion rates are low

The outdated tactics must have previously worked for your website, but if leads & traffic is consistently decreasing it may be time to investigate what is causing this and identify the areas that require more attention when updating your website. There could be problems with your technical SEO that require extra attention, or it could be the layout of your website that is confusing users.

6. Outdated or incorrect information

Sometimes the main focus is on updating your website’s content and message. If the messaging and content on your website no longer accurately represent your company, it might be a call to upgrade it!

Your content should be clear, concise, and explain exactly what your company can offer. It must include the primary keywords in order to rank on search engines and increase relevant traffic. You must conduct research on the types of content required to inform your target audience about your services. To convert more leads, create a content strategy that includes blog posts and landing pages.

7. Current SEO strategies

Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to a set of procedures that help increase your website’s visibility on search engines. If your site isn’t appearing in search results, you should investigate what’s causing the problem. Around 87 percent of searches begin with Google, and if your website isn’t search engine optimized, you’ll be missing out on a lot of traffic.

8. Inadequate user experience

If you want to generate more conversions and leads, the user experience must be simple and straightforward. You should redesign your website using data and science to determine where to place the call to action. Conversion tools will help you improve both the user experience and the leads generated by your website.

9. The bounce rate is high

If your website has a high bounce rate, it means that something isn’t working properly. Visitors are either not finding what they are looking for or the website is too complicated for them to understand. The traffic you’re getting is either irrelevant to your business or you’re not providing enough information for visitors to stay and explore your website.

10. Inadequate website security

Most importantly, you must ensure that your website has adequate security measures in place. You can accomplish this by using a secure hosting website and purchasing an SSL certificate to demonstrate that your website is secure. The security of your website is determined by the design and functionality of your website.

11. Inadequate navigation and CTAs

You may believe that getting traffic to your website is difficult, but converting them is even more difficult. You must provide useful information and an effective call to action. The layout of your design and the information provided within the user journey are critical components in converting traffic to your website.

12. Difficult to update

There are numerous content management systems (CMS) for your website, and you can even have one developed specifically for your company. Each CMS has its own set of features, and some are better suited to certain industries than others. If you find it difficult to add content, create new pages, and find an inability to improve it with the available resources, it might be time to consider a new web design and CMS system.

Is the design of your website outdated? Confused which design elements are hindering your website growth?

Digipanda has got you covered! We have a team of designers with years of experience who can help you design a website from scratch or redesign your current website. Contact us now for a consultation.