7 Web Design Challenges Standing in the Way of Conversions

When you read articles online with website design tips it seems like creating a professional website is super easy. WordPress, Shopify, and other site builder platforms market themselves as a user-friendly service where “anyone can build an efficient website”.

Technically, this is true. But there’s a major caveat.

Anyone can use these platforms to build a polished-looking website. But building a website with a quality design that drives conversions takes an expert’s touch.  

If this wasn’t the case, web design agencies would not exist.

A lot of business owners are working on a shoestring budget, we get it. If you’re thinking about taking this route (without any experience building a website), there are a handful of site elements you’ll need to master to create a conversion-focused website. Here are seven big ones.

1. Building a Scalable Website

As your small company grows, it’s essential that your website is equipped to accommodate the changes.

There are many more web design challenges here than many assume. This includes (but is not limited to) handling a surge in web traffic, integrating new site features, and managing an increased volume of content.

The biggest sign your website performance is falling short is a considerable dip in page loading speed. As you implement new functions, they can quickly compromise the time it takes for a page to load.

You can probably agree to this yourself, but most online users have very little patience for slow-loading websites. Even a few extra seconds staring at a loading screen is enough to send prospective customers packing.

Research indicates that quick-loading websites, those taking one second or less, see nearly 40% higher conversion rates than slower websites.

When it comes to scaling your website, there needs to be robust database architecture capable of handling expansive data sets. This should be factored into the initial buildout of the website.

When you hire a professional web design and development partner, they will make sure the site is configured for today, tomorrow, and every day in the future.

2. Getting Placed on Google Searches (SEO)

Search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential component that needs to be woven into the fabric of your website.

This is to help your company show up on Google searches when people search for your products/services.

At Law Edge Solutions, we work with a lot of attorneys – and most of their clients find them via Google searches. That said, the site needs to have visibility when someone searches ‘personal injury lawyer in (insert city,’ or divorce attorney near me’, and so on.

Now, let’s sift through some SEO jargon.

Generally, SEO is classified into three sections: on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO. When you’re building a website, there are a few tasks you’ll need to account for to get your site up and running:

On-page SEO

• Keyword Optimization
• Content Quality
• Meta Tags and Descriptions
• Internal Linking:
• Image Optimization:
• URL Structure
• Mobile Friendliness
• User Experience (UX)
• Schema Markup

Off-page SEO

• Link Building:
• Citation Listing
• Guest Blogging
• Brand Mentions
• Local SEO Strategies
• Social Bookmarking
• Content Marketing
• Google Business Profile posts

Technical SEO

• Website Speed Optimization
• Mobile Optimization
• XML Sitemap
• Crawlability and Indexing
• HTTPS and SSL
• Structured Data Markup
• Canonical Tags
• Broken Link Fixing
• Page Speed and Core Web Vitals
• 404 Error Handling

This is just the tip of the spear with SEO.

Unless you know exactly what you’re doing here, this will be one of the key web design challenges in the early stages.

Getting the hang of SEO isn’t something you can master on a lazy Sunday afternoon – it’s a full-time career that takes years to understand and apply. That’s the reason why most designers or web design agencies like to keep an SEO whiz on speed dial during the site build.

Simply put, if your website isn’t built with SEO best practices, pulling in web traffic will be difficult. A beautiful website doesn’t do much good if no one can find it.

3. Professional Copywriting

Copywriting is arguably the most overlooked web design challenge out there.

People look at polished web pages and think, “Oh, it’s only like 300 words. I can do that in 20 minutes tops!” 

Keep in mind, without expert copy (text), your website is little more than a mishmash of images and colors. If you want people to learn about what you do and take action – you need to have a strong copy to direct them.

Professional copywriters have a knack for making this crucial task seem like a walk in the park.

Sure, anyone can type works on a page. But it takes an expert to:

• Empathize with your target buyers’ problems
• Accurately and concisely convey key messages
• Seamlessly direct people to take action

These are just the table stakes of professional copywriting for websites. To get it right, you’ll need a deep understanding of human language and context, emotions, SEO guidelines, and how to harmoniously blend words with design elements.

Skilled copywriters are paid extremely well for this talent.

We meet with a lot of prospects who opt to write their website copy to save a few bucks. It almost always ends with text that misses the mark – and makes a HUGE impact on your brand’s credibility.

People are extremely picky when shopping online. If the copy on your website is subpar, this sends a message that your products/services are also subpar.

Working with a reputable web design agency or partner can eliminate this problem. They’ll make sure your site is created with professionally-written copy that mirrors your brand voice and sparks people to take action.

4. Fine-Tuning the User Experience

This one’s a biggie.

User experience (UX) is one of the web development challenges you’ll face without the right skills.

A website is only as good as the UX it delivers- and building a good one calls for a pro-level understanding of your target visitors’ needs, concerns, behaviors, and more. This understanding is the bedrock of your site’s navigation and architecture, and it’s crucial when it comes to adding interactive elements to your site.

Take the Amazon website for example – arguably the best UX the online world has ever seen. They have a team of the best UX designers that money can hire, constantly making adjustments to the website.

Believe us when we say, getting UX design right for both desktop and mobile devices is no cakewalk. It’s one of the top web development challenges – even for the pros. 

Professional designers have years of experience in UX principles engrained in their web design process. At the end of the day, THIS is what you pay for when you hire a web design agency to build your website.

5. Making the Website Accessible

Web accessibility is a term we’re seeing more and more in the design world.

It used to only be a requirement for certain industries – like government and healthcare – due to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Nowadays, nearly all of the leading websites incorporate it.

In simple terms, web accessibility is all about ensuring everyone, including those with disabilities, can fully engage with a website.

The common web accessibility tasks include:

• Incorporating keyboard navigation options into the site’s UX
• Tagging images with alt text to help those with visual impairments
• Providing ample color contrast for folks who are color-blind

Now, not all businesses are mandated to have an accessible website. But thinking logically, why wouldn’t you want to make your site accessible?

Doing so enhances the user experience, adds SEO value, and helps you reach a wider audience.

Safe to say, most business owners with limited web design experience might not fully grasp the nitty-gritty of web accessibility and ADA compliance. A pro designer and developer will make sure these principles are woven into your site from the get-go.

6. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) Best Practices

Next on our list of common web design challenges involves conversions. A “conversion” is when someone on your website does what you were hoping they’d do.

For law firms, a conversion would ideally involve a user setting up a consultation.

Conversions are pretty much the holy grail for most websites.

The number of conversions will probably fluctuate each month. Sometimes, the final tally might be a bit shy of the monthly goals you’ve set. That’s when your webpages might need a bit of TLC – or “conversion rate optimization (CRO)”.

CRO involves doing some digital detective work to pinpoint what’s turning both desktop and mobile users off – and then making calculated changes to steer things back on track.

The right changes or updates often blend in seamlessly rather than standing out.

CRO involves analyzing your site’s data and getting creative with problem-solving to make the right adjustments. At its most basic level, this involves some industry tools, and the web design expertise to test and fine-tune the changes you make.

Continuous conversion rate optimization is the reality of operating a website.For a business owner new to the process, mastering CRO can be a steep learning curve.  That’s where partnering with an experienced agency like Law Edge Solution of skilled web developers proves invaluable.

7. Staying in Touch with Web Design Trends

Web design trends are a bit like fashion – they change rapidly.

Keeping your website on-trend is an essential task and can be very difficult for business owners with little web design experience.

Your website is like your company’s digital storefront. Unlike the fashion world, which loves a nice throwback every once in a while – an outdated website will kill your conversions.

The tricky thing about web design trends is they shift so frequently that it’s tough to spot the changes unless you’re really tuned in. Keeping your finger on the pulse of current web design trends is a job that never clocks out. It demands continuous research, experimentation, a dash of creativity, and data analysis.

More importantly, it takes an expert to understand which trends in modern web design are pertinent to your company – and incorporate them appropriately. When you team up with a professional web designer, they’ll cherry-pick the ones that’ll add the most value.

Set Yourself Up for Success

Building a website is never as easy as it sounds. Even the pros run into web design challenges from time to time.

Now, as a business owner, you’ve probably done your fair share of DIY-ing. But it’s important to understand that your website is the digital face of your company. It won’t do any good if no one can find it – or no one is converting into leads/sales. 

If you’re going to invest serious money into one business asset, a professional, conversion-focused website is a prime candidate.

At Law Edge Solutions, we specialize in creating search-friendly, responsive websites with professional web design, development, copywriting, SEO, and more – the complete package.

If you’ve got an existing website that needs some love – or you’re looking to start from scratch, we’ve got you covered. Start the conversation with a strategy call. We look forward to moving you in the right direction!