The 7 Most Common Website Editing Mistakes Made by Non-Expert Business Owners
In today's increasingly digital world, having a website is essential for small business owners to showcase their products or services, attract new customers, and maintain a professional image. While the content is undoubtedly important, the way it's presented can make or break a visitor's experience. Non-expert small business owners should be mindful of common formatting mistakes when editing their website content. This blog post will explore some of the most prevalent errors and offer tips for avoiding them.
Inconsistent Typography
One of the most common formatting mistakes is inconsistent typography, which includes font style, size, and color. To maintain a professional look, be sure to stick to one or two complementary fonts and use consistent font sizes and colours for headings, subheadings, and body text
✅ Tip: Establish a style guide for your website to create a consistent visual identity, which will help maintain brand recognition and improve user experience.
Overwhelming Text Blocks
Large, unbroken blocks of text can be overwhelming and difficult to read. Break up your content into smaller paragraphs, ideally no more than four or five lines each, and use headings and subheadings to make it easier for visitors to navigate and digest the information.
✅ Tip: Utilize bullet points or numbered lists to present information in a more digestible format and improve overall readability.
Poor Spacing and Alignment
Ignoring proper spacing and alignment can lead to a cluttered, chaotic appearance on your website. Maintain consistency by ensuring that your margins, padding, and alignment are uniform throughout the site. It is a common problem that the original version of the website is tidy, but when the website owner edits certain pages, the original tidiness gradually deteriorates.
✅ Tip: Always compare the look and feel of the pages you edit with those previously created by a professional web designer.
Inappropriate Use of Colours
While colours can help enhance your website's design and branding, excessive or inappropriate use of colours can be distracting and unprofessional. Stick to a limited colour palette that complements your brand and use contrast to emphasize essential elements, such as call-to-action buttons and headings.
✅ Tip: Don't invent the wheel. Use those colours which are pre-set in your original website design.
Mobile Responsiveness issues
Although most websites are responsive nowadays, you still need to be aware of the principles of responsiveness when editing them. Unfortunately, this is often overlooked by website owners. It is important that, if you are not an expert, you check the results of your editing on all devices.
✅ Tip: Use responsive design techniques or choose a mobile-friendly website template to ensure that your site displays correctly on all devices.
Low-Quality Images
Using low-quality images on your website can make your brand appear unprofessional and diminish the overall user experience. Always select high-quality, visually appealing images that are relevant to your content. However, remember to optimize these images to ensure they don't negatively impact your site's loading speed.
✅ Tip : Opt for stock images - If you don't have your own high-quality images, consider using royalty-free stock images from reputable sources. Stock image websites offer a wide range of professional-quality images that you can use on your website without worrying about copyright issues.
How to check the quality of an image? →
Text Justification
Avoid justifying text. Justified text, where both the left and right margins are aligned, can create irregular spacing between words and make content more challenging to read. While it may seem like a more visually appealing option, justified text can decrease readability, especially on mobile devices. Instead, stick to left-aligned text, which is more accessible and easier to read.
One of the reasons why still people use justified text is tradition: Justified text has been used in print materials like books, newspapers, and magazines for centuries. People may continue to use it on websites because they're accustomed to it or because they feel it lends a sense of authority or professionalism. However, in most cases, it's better to use left-aligned text.
Conclusion:
By avoiding these common web content mistakes, non-expert business owners can create a more professional and user-friendly page. Remember that consistency, readability, and simplicity are key to a well-designed site.
If you feel overwhelmed or unsure about your web content, consider consulting with a web design professional to ensure your website best represents your brand and meets your business goals.