1. Hard to Read Text

It sounds obvious that being able to read content is the most important aspect of design on any website. But it’s surprisingly easy to make this common design error, for multiple reasons.

With so many options for background colors, gradients, fonts, and font colors, it’s not hard to get carried away. A font combination might look great in a printed article, but on the web readers get easily distracted by flamboyant text and color.

Although many academic disciplines require densely formatted articles, it’s important to remember that people read differently on the web. Most folks will skim articles on the computer, an action that requires frequent paragraph breaks.

Here are a few ways to solve this problem:

• Separate your posts and pages into logical sections, using subheadings when possible.
• Use precise subheadings to allow readers to skim for the information they need.
• Use an appropriate color scheme.
• San-serif has been proven to be more readable than serif, so use sans-serif whenever possible.
• When it comes to sharing professional articles, consider allowing readers to download a PDF instead of displaying directly in the site html.

2. Confusing Navigation

Chances are, you’ve got a lot of information to share with your visitors. However, not all pages are important enough to be linked in the main navigation of your website.

Your main navigation should provide clarity to your audience. Broken links, odd menu position, and poor organization make it hard for your audience to use your site, and can even drive them away.

How to solve the problem:

• Make you’re your navigation menu is easy to access. Avoid hidden pop-out menus which make it hard for readers to remember where they found a page.
• Each link should be clearly labeled so visitors know where it leads.

3. Clutter

Just like paragraph breaks in a long article, it’s important to include white space around your content generally. This helps guide visitors’ to where you want them to look!

If you don’t leave enough negative space, your site can look cluttered and overwhelming.

How to solve the problem:

• Use negative space to enhance your site’s readability.
• Leave some extra space between each subheading, and use images and lists to break up long paragraphs. This keeps readers from getting fatigued.

4. Burying Your Message

What do you want your visitors to do when they visit your site? Subscribe to a newsletter? Read your latest post? Complete a survey? This is called a call-to-action. Using vague words or burying your call-to-action on an obscure page can be self-defeating.

How to solve the problem:

• Include CTAs near the beginning and the end of your pages. This will allow you to catch the eye of visitors who were not ready to jump on board with your message upon their arrival to your site, but are interested after reading your content.
• Make your CTAs stand out by using contrasting colors, buttons, or bold text.
• Make sure your CTAs are easy to click on, especially for mobile users.
• Try using Divi’s “Call-to-Action” Module.

5. Lack of Mobile Optimization

We’ve all experienced the frustration of a poorly optimized mobile site, with small buttons and even smaller texts that even the most discerning users are unable to click or read. All the points mentioned here so far (readability, navigation, CTA optimization) are guaranteed to look different on the mobile version of your site.

How to solve the problem:

• Divi is your best friend when it comes to mobile optimization. Each module has built-in options for desktop, tablet, and smartphone. Be sure to preview, before applying!

6. Inconsistent Design

Sometimes simple is best—think of common social media sites, Facebook for example. The uniform blue and white design may not be flashy, but it gives a sense of consistency site wide. It even has become associated with Facebook as a brand.

How to solve the problem:

Divi offers features that make a uniform site design easy. Change text size and color site wide in the Theme Customizer, or save custom configured modules to the Divi Library to place on any page.

7. Distracting Animations

Images can be useful in communicating information to your readers. But when it comes to adding animation, remember that less can be more. Not only is it confusing for images to come flying in from multiple angles, but it can also make your site cluttered and impact loading speeds and SEO.

How to solve the problem:

Many divi modules come with options for animation, and you can even add your own with custom CSS. Be sure to preview the page to make sure the animation doesn’t distract viewers from your content though.

8. Hidden Contact Information

It’s likely you’re created your site because you want people to get in contact with you. However, if your contact information isn’t up-to-date, then you may be missing opportunities to connect with your readers.

How to Solve the problem:

Our template provides a place in the Footer for your Contact information.  Go to widgets and update your information to keep in touch with readers who may want to reach out to you.