Ever since the early days, there’s always been a lot of flannel around website design. Trends, tools, templates, and opinions are not in short supply on the internet generally, and website design has them all in spades.
But after building and managing websites for large corporates and small businesses over many years, one thing is very clear: The best websites aren’t there to impress other designers, they exist to convert.
This article looks at the good, the bad, and the ugly of website design so you know what to include, and what to avoid.
Good website design is invisible
Not literally! But good design should certainly be frictionless.
Bad design jumps out and knackers your suspension like an unexpected and particularly brutal speed bump. It interrupts your journey and leaves you feeling rattled and annoyed.
Here’s a classic user journey for a badly designed website:
The real test of website design isn’t whether it looks fabulous, but whether it lets real humans get the information they need, fast. We definitely don’t want them to leave frustrated.
I’ve worked in digital marketing for long enough to know that most website usability issues don’t come about from a lack of creativity. They happen because fancy schmancy design gets in the way.
A few red flags of poor website design include:
If your bounce rate is high or you’re getting feedback that people can’t find what they need on your site, then it’s usually a sign the design has drifted away from its core purpose. And if any of this does apply to your website, we should have a conversation ASAP!
So let’s explore what good website design actually looks like in the real world.
Good design exists to support action
I have very strong opinions about what constitutes good website design formed through years of building, fixing, and untangling them.
Quite simply: Design exists to support action. For most businesses this means conversion to a sale or a lead. When the design works well, it gets you to where you need to go very quickly and very efficiently.
A really good website gives people confidence in the business because it guides them through information in a way that feels natural. It respects their time and attention and answers three questions almost immediately:
If someone has to hunt for those answers, the design and user journey has failed big time.
Ease matters more than originality here. People are visiting because they want to understand something, solve a problem, or decide whether to trust you. The least you can do is make that journey as straightforward as possible.
I see a lot of websites that are just missing the mark. These are businesses that care deeply about what they do. There’s passion, expertise, and substance there, but their online presence is letting them down. The result is friction which causes just enough resistance to slow conversions and lose out on valuable opportunities.
Good design is disciplined, makes decisions, and removes as much as it adds. Most importantly for me, it puts usability, accessibility, and flow ahead of decoration.
Flow beats flair every time
I’ve seen many a beautifully styled website that’s oddly exhausting to use. There are usually several overlapping reasons for this, such as:
Good website design has rhythm that guides people through information in a way that feels natural. The headings make sense and each section follows a logical order. There are buttons appear where you expect them to be.
When the flow is right, people don’t notice the design. But when it’s wrong, they feel it instantly. Confusion is uncomfortable, and uncomfortable users rarely stick around.
Accessibility isn’t optional
Accessibility is absolutely not a “nice to have” or a specialist concern. It’s an essential element of good website design. That’s because accessibility includes simple non-negotiables like:
Some people believe that designing with accessibility in mind limits creativity. I completely disagree – when you design for accessibility you’re forced to prioritise communication over decoration. This is a design challenge, not a limiting factor.
What’s more, designing with accessibility in mind sends a clear message about your values. Whether you intend it or not, your website tells people who you’re willing to include.
Things that make you go hmmmm
Here are a few things I see again and again that cause people to disengage, often without being able to articulate why…
Your website doesn’t need win any high-falutin’ design awards, it just needs to support your business and the people interacting with it. So if your site feels like it’s working against you, if it’s harder to use than it should be, or if you suspect the design no longer matches where your business is now, that’s worth addressing.
Social posts, email campaigns, SEO, referrals, and conversations are all funnelling people to your site expecting it to do some work. When the design supports that journey, marketing feels easier. When it doesn’t, everything feels harder than it needs to be.
You don’t always need an expensive rebuild. Sometimes all it takes is a sharper eye, better structure, and a design approach that prioritises people over polish.
If you want an experienced, honest perspective on what your website is doing well and where it’s getting in its own way, let’s talk. We can look at it properly and decide what’s actually worth changing.
Small changes can have a surprisingly big impact.
A quick gut-check
If you’re wondering whether your website design is helping or hindering, ask yourself this.
If the answer is “mostly, but not quite”, that’s useful information. It means your site probably needs thoughtful adjustment, not demolition – and that’s a great place to start.
You don’t need more design trends, you need a website that converts
Visitors shouldn’t have to work to understand what you do, where to go, or what to click next. If they do, the design has failed them.
If you want an experienced perspective on how your site performs in the real world, I can help you pull it apart and put it back together properly.
I design websites that works as hard as you do. Get in touch and let’s talk about stepping up to the next level.
