What are the biggest mistakes when creating a website?

A successful website thrives on clear structure, appealing design, and technical optimization. However, many website operators repeatedly make common mistakes that affect user-friendliness, visibility, and legal compliance. In this article, we highlight the most important pitfalls and how you can avoid them with best practices and modern website builders.

Mistake 1: Overloaded or cluttered design

Design is one of the most important success factors for a website. If the visual and structural design is not carefully planned, visitors may quickly lose interest and leave. A good design should present content in an appealing way and provide a pleasant user experience. The following are common mistakes you should avoid:

• Too many different fonts and sizes: Using multiple fonts and inconsistent sizes can make your layout look chaotic and unprofessional. Instead, choose a consistent font family and adjust sizes according to the importance of the information.
• Difficult color combinations or overly bright colors: Strong or unpleasant color contrasts can distract from the content and reduce readability. Use harmonious color combinations that are easy on the eyes and improve legibility.
• Design that distracts from content: Overly flashy or cluttered design can draw attention away from the actual information. The design should support your content, not overshadow it.
• Conflict with the corporate image: If the design clashes with your company’s values and personality, it can damage trust. Ensure your design reflects professionalism and aligns with your corporate identity to create a positive perception.
• Excessive use of interactive elements and animations: Too many moving or interactive elements can overwhelm users and slow down your site. Only include them when they add real value to the user experience.
• Careless use of design trends: Trends like dark mode or minimalism can be appealing, but they must be implemented thoughtfully. If they don’t suit your target audience or website content, they can harm the user experience.

An appealing design with appropriate color effects should be both aesthetic and functional. It must promote the usability and readability of the website while reflecting the corporate image. Avoid excessive focus on design trends and ensure the design clearly supports the content rather than overshadowing it.

Mistake 2: Complicated navigation and user guidance

Clear navigation is crucial for the user-friendliness of your website. Visitors should be able to find content quickly without becoming confused. Faulty or complicated menu structures often cause users to leave the site prematurely. The following aspects are particularly important:

• Mobile-first design: Since Google now uses the mobile version of your website for ranking, navigation must be as intuitive on smartphones and tablets as on desktops. Ensure menus are clearly visible, buttons are easy to click, and there is a logical hierarchy of page content.
• Content prioritization: Ensure that the most important information is visible first and that users can reach it directly. Submenus should be logically grouped to allow users to quickly orient themselves.
• Accessibility. Accessible navigation is crucial for everyone, especially for people with disabilities. This includes:
• Clear and consistent menu structure: The navigation order should be logical and predictable.
• Keyboard navigation: All menus and interactions must be operable without a mouse.
• Screen reader compatibility: Texts, links, and buttons must be properly labeled so that screen readers can recognize them.
• Contrast and font sizes: Ensure sufficient color contrasts and scalable font sizes for optimal readability.
• Call-to-Action elements (CTAs): Strategically place CTAs to guide users to desired actions (e.g., purchase, newsletter sign-up). They should be highly visible, clearly labeled, and accessible to all users.
• Avoid overloaded menus: Too many menu levels or complicated dropdowns make navigation difficult. Ensure a good user experience design by keeping menus simple and clear, with well-defined categories.

Successful navigation combines mobile-first design, content prioritization, accessibility, and strategic CTAs. This not only increases usability and conversion rates but also ensures your website is accessible to all user groups and performs well in search engine rankings.

Mistake 3: Lack of timeliness

Outdated content can harm both the user experience and your search engine rankings. To keep your website relevant and professional, it’s important to review and update it regularly. The following aspects are especially important:

• Regular content updates: Use a content management system (CMS) to update content easily and quickly. This makes it simple to add new information, offers, or company news as they arise.
• Events and dates: Keep information on events, webinars, or company activities current so visitors always find accurate dates and participation details.
• Company design and branding: Regularly review corporate design elements, logos, colors, and fonts to ensure your web design aligns with your current brand identity.
• SEO optimization of existing content: Updating content can improve search engine rankings. Regularly review and refine keywords, meta titles, and descriptions.
• Review of external links: Outdated or broken links can hurt both user experience and SEO. Conduct regular link checks and update them as needed.
• Images and media up to date: Make sure graphics, videos, and downloads are up to date and fully functional.

A current website signals professionalism, builds trust with visitors, and strengthens your SEO performance. Regular content maintenance, SEO adjustments, and link monitoring are therefore essential.

Mistake 4: Ignoring accessibility and legal foundations

Legal compliance and an accessible design are essential for every website — and neglecting them can lead to lawsuits, penalties, or reputational damage, especially for commercial projects. The following aspects are particularly relevant in the U.S.:

• Privacy laws (CCPA/CPRA and others): If your site collects personal data from U.S. users, especially California residents, it must comply with the CCPA/CPRA and other state-level privacy laws. This includes providing a clear privacy policy and giving users control over their data.
• FTC compliance: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires websites to avoid misleading content and to disclose sponsored content or affiliate links clearly and transparently.
• Accessibility (ADA/WCAG): Websites may fall under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires them to be accessible to users with disabilities. Follow WCAG guidelines: provide alt text for images, captions for videos, logical navigation, and full keyboard accessibility.
• Mobile-first design: While not legally required, a responsive layout is best practice for both accessibility and SEO. It ensures your site works seamlessly on mobile devices, which is critical for modern users.

Summary:

Meeting U.S. legal standards — especially regarding privacy, transparency, and accessibility — builds trust, professionalism, and reach while reducing legal and financial risks.

Mistake 5: Neglecting responsive web design or a mobile version

A responsive web design is essential nowadays, as visitors access your website from various devices – from smartphones and tablets to desktop PCs. Google has introduced “Mobile first” indexing, meaning the mobile version of a website is primarily assessed for ranking. Websites without mobile optimization receive lower placements in search results.

Important points:

• Mobile SEO: Content, images, and forms must be optimally displayed on mobile and be user-friendly. Loading times, navigation, and buttons should be specifically adapted for touchscreens.
• Responsive design frameworks: Frameworks like Bootstrap or Foundation help create flexible layouts that automatically adapt to different screen sizes.
• Content optimization: Ensure important content and call-to-action elements (CTAs) remain highly visible on mobile devices, while less relevant content can be reduced or hidden.

Opting out of responsive design not only affects user-friendliness but can also significantly harm visibility in search engines. A “Mobile first” design is now the standard and crucial for your website’s success.

Mistake 6: Not optimizing load time

The load time of a website significantly impacts user experience and search engine ranking. Slow pages lead to higher bounce rates and poor visibility on Google.

Key points:

• Core web vitals: Google evaluates load time, interactivity, and visual stability as ranking factors. Optimizing these metrics improves both SEO and user experience.
• Image optimization: Use modern image formats like WebP, compress images, and implement Lazy Loading so that content loads only when scrolled.
• Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): CDNs reduce load times by delivering content from servers that are **geographically closer to the user.
• Additional performance tips: Minimizing CSS and JavaScript, browser caching, and server-side optimizations also contribute to faster load times.

A fast website is not only user-friendly today but also a crucial SEO factor.

Mistake 7: Unencrypted data transmission without SSL/TLS

An unencrypted website compromises user data and can significantly undermine trust. At the same time, HTTPS is a ranking factor for Google.

Key points:

• HTTPS & SSL/TLS: TLS certificates encrypt data transmission and protect sensitive information. Google also favors secure websites in its rankings.
• Free certificates: Many hosting providers, including IONOS, offer free SSL certificates that can be installed quickly and easily.
• SEO and trust: HTTPS improves search engine rankings and builds user trust, as secure connections are shown by the padlock symbol in the browser.
• Best practices: Regularly check that all subdomains and resources load via HTTPS to prevent mixed content issues.

A website without HTTPS is neither secure nor competitive in terms of SEO and user trust.

Build your website easily with a website builder

Using a website builder for your web presence helps you avoid many common mistakes right from the start. A website builder is easy and intuitive to use — and you don’t need to worry about source code at all. With numerous templates and an effortless drag-and-drop function, you can quickly customize your website for both personal projects and business use.

Benefits of a website builder at a glance:

• Easy to use: No knowledge of CSS or HTML is required.
• Professional templates: Choose from industry-specific templates that are visually appealing, well-structured, and accessible.
• Custom content: Insert your own images or use stock images from the archive and edit them directly. Built-in tips help with layout and content prioritization.
• Responsive design: Your site automatically adapts to smartphones, tablets, and desktop devices. Mobile SEO and “Mobile first” indexing are already considered.
• Search engine friendly: Content is delivered SEO-optimized, including meta tags, structured data, and fast loading times.
• Security: Data transmission is encrypted via SSL/TLS according to current standards.
• Accessibility: Many website builders follow basic web accessibility principles to ensure your site is usable for people with disabilities.
• Included extras: Own domain, email addresses, and optional online store with payment and shipping options.

The Website Builder from IONOS, for example, is very easy to use yet delivers outstanding results. With this builder system, you can publish your website with minimal time investment — and without any knowledge of CSS or HTML. All you need is a clear concept of the content you want to display.