10 common webflow website design mistakes and how to fix them

‍

According to My Codeless Website, Webflow has 3.5 million users worldwide with approximately 230,000 websites using Webflow. Webflow is one of the most popular no-code website-building platforms due to the greater flexibility it allows in comparison to other platforms like Wix. Although Webflow offers amazing design flexibility when building a website, with higher flexibility comes higher responsibility. It's easy to miss important Webflow mistakes that overlook branding, user experience optimization, and expanding site functionality if you don't have web design expertise. All these factors can subtly deteriorate performance across crucial metrics like visitor engagement, conversions, and search visibility.

‍

This article covers the top 10 common Webflow website mistakes that new designers make and provides helpful guidance for overcoming each hurdle. The overall quality of the website in terms of user experience and product impact will increase significantly if you can avoid Webflow website mistakes and these key areas are attended to: 

‍

1. Not making designs responsive 

‍

According to Exploding Topics, over half of website traffic comes from smartphones. However, a lot of Webflow users still fail to adjust the site's content and layout for smaller screens. If content is not optimized for smaller screens, many visitors will find it difficult to browse and engage with the information. User frustration results from pinching and zooming often in a horizontal manner. Some common instances include tables with horizontal scrolls, tiny text, full-width images that fit desktops but are not optimized for mobile screens, etc. According to WebFX, mobile responsive designs are held at a higher opinion by 61% of internet users with over 50% declaring that they would not prefer to interact with bad mobile responsive websites.  

‍

Rather than being an afterthought, a deliberate plan must be in place from the beginning of design work to create a genuinely mobile-responsive Webflow website. When first sketching out initial layout ideas and content outlines, it is important to do some study on the nuances of designing for a flexible online experience across multiple screen sizes. Create many possible page schemas that take into account breakpoints for desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. Consider what essential features and content of the website might be highlighted less or presented in a different way on smaller screens. Optimize for fingertip usability when it comes to stylistic factors like font sizes, padding, hover effects, and element spacing. Consider whether elements, such as carousels and dialog boxes, that function well on desktops may potentially impede intuitive mobile experiences. Above all, prioritize the needs of mobile users. What would they want quick access to and what would they be comfortable having tucked behind a tap or swipe interaction in testing journeys?

‍

Source- Image 

‍

2. Incorrect use of white space

‍

Negative or white space is essential for organizing user interfaces and drawing focus to the appropriate design elements. However, it can be challenging for beginners to find the ideal balance between information density and white space. Presently, audit pages appear visually cluttered. Eliminate any unnecessary visual components that increase cognitive overload and distract the viewer's focus. For better content grouping, increase the margins and padding between parts. Prevent visitors from focusing on anything other than the headlines, calls to action, and significant data visualizations by purposefully leaving space between them on the page. If white space is used properly, one of the most common website redesign mistakes of cluttering a page with information can be avoided. 

‍

Source- Image 

‍

3. Inconsistent branding and style

‍

According to Toptal, users are 62% less likely to purchase from a brand's website when they have a negative experience about it. Strong brands make consistent branding decisions for colors, iconography, image style, and other elements to direct the visual and UX choices across touchpoints. However, Webflow's flexibility and range of templates can cause UX designers to overlook the branding of the website. Without detailed guidelines, website pages on Webflow will appear disconnected, and mismatched UI elements like buttons, typography, icon or illustration styles, color pallet variations, etc will emerge. To avoid Webflow website mistakes like this one, designers on Webflow should establish a style guide that defines accepted graphic styles, color schemes, font details, and alignments and spacing. Across all present and future website pages and assets, apply the new guidelines consistently that speak the brand's personality and help leave an impression on users visiting the website. 

‍

Source- Image 

‍

4. Not SEO optimizing the website

‍

Intergrowth states that 63% of online experiences of users begin with a search engine. A lot of Webflow designers believe SEO strategies are only useful for sites with a lot of content, such as blogs, news sites, or e-commerce websites. However, using fundamental search engine optimization principles may increase the value and exposure of any website. Discoverability is essential for drawing in prospective new visitors. Businesses lose out on valued website traffic from target audiences that are already looking for comparable products when SEO best practices aren't followed. 

‍

Source- Image 

‍

5. Not incorporating a proper navigation system

‍

Clear, simple navigation is a key component of a website's usability. Users are frequently frustrated by deep information architecture with websites buried across numerous layers which is one of the common Webflow website mistakes. Lack of clarity on the optimal pathways causes decision paralysis when there are too many possibilities. To avoid such issues that can lead to users abandoning your website, begin by examining every page and structure of the website from the perspective of its users. Eliminate pages with little content that might work better when combined into larger subjects. Consider categorizing the remaining pages into key categories based on the skills, the industries, the results, etc. The top-level navigation links are influenced by these groupings; you should seek 5-8 high-value parts that are structured consistently. 

‍

Source- Image

‍

6. Not paying attention to CTAs

‍

Calls-to-action (CTAs) are essential for conversions since they encourage website users to do desired tasks, such as registering, buying items, setting up demonstrations, etc. However, a lot of websites fail to carefully direct users through important activity funnels. When CTA button labels, contrasts, location, and accompanying text are unclear, users find it difficult to understand the next important steps to take. Analyze user flow to determine which pages users visit to get information, assess options, and make decisions. Determine the desired conversion paths among the touchpoints in the buyer journey. Include context-relevant call-to-actions (CTAs) with suitable labels, such as Get Started buttons, Add to Cart links, or Contact Sales forms. Personalize the CTAs wherever necessary as according to HubSpot, personalized CTAs perform 202% better than usual CTAs. Use colors that have a strong contrast to the page's surrounding elements to make buttons stand out visually. Boost the font size in comparison to the body content to improve readability and actionability. Lastly, evaluate target conversion rates and user drop-off rates associated with pages with improved calls to action frequently. 

‍

Source- Image 

‍

7. Starting the design project on Webflow itself

‍

Webflow is great! But it's still recommended to design first and use Webflow for implementation. Many people are excited to use Webflow's user-friendly drag-and-drop interface at the expense of careful planning and content strategy creation. Designing directly on Webflow does not help in coordinating the information architecture, defining user journeys, or prioritizing primary content buckets. Instead, diving straight into the tool and beginning to prematurely apply style and populating pages can lead to inconsistent design and a confusing user journey. Even though Webflow eliminates technological complexity, websites still require careful consideration and procedure. Define target audiences, success indicators, and site objectives with clear goals in place to guide decisions. Designing first helps in aligning pages with verified user pathways using information architecture mapping. To maximize content impact, the core value proposition and message should be recorded for each user persona. During the wireframe development stage, prioritize crucial features and page layouts based on their significance. Most importantly, designing first helps in involving key stakeholders and user feedback to iterate quickly without spending a lot of time, money, and other resources. 

‍

Source- Image 

‍

8. Inconsistent Class Naming Standards and Reuse

‍

Leveraging reusable component collections with child styling and naming conventions for efficiency is a fundamental Webflow feature. However without early planning and guidelines, class inconsistency develops, making sites difficult to maintain over time. Avoid the overuse of generic descriptors such as "button" and "image" and be specific with class nomenclature. Also, avoid styling child items on their own instead of using parent items. For this, recognizing recurring patterns in design that might be categorized into parent elements becomes crucial. 

‍

Source- Image 

‍

9. Inconsistent typography, font size and alignment

‍

One common Webflow error that goes unnoticed is the use of typographic stylistic decisions that are randomly applied throughout website pages as opposed to carefully developed for readability and brand coherence. Disjointed styles, mismatched headers, overly dense paragraphs, odd text alignments, lack of font pairing discipline, insufficient color, size, and whitespace contrast begin to appear if a mature typographic vision isn't intentionally developed to guide core font choices, content sizing/scaling decisions, and consistency processes. These aspects make it difficult to quickly scan content, compromise the professionalism of style, and make it difficult to establish a consistent brand identity. 

‍

Source- Image 

‍

10. Not paying attention to form field states

‍

Many Webflow designers concentrate just on developing default input field layouts and validation methods in their rush to complete the designs. But what's often missed is handling different form states and messages to visitors in order to reassure and assist them. Beyond designing only initial and final submission flows, intermediate interaction stages are critical points that influence user trust and advancement. These include error messages, post-success messages for confirmation or taking the next action, in-progress loading indicators, etc. To get such elements right, write brief messages that directly address the requirements of the visitor. Make intentional use of color, motion, and space to update visual style decisions consistently throughout states that reinforce the brand personality. 

‍

Source- Image 

‍

Conclusion:

‍

As we have discussed here, in the absence of website design training, Webflow's strength and flexibility can unintentionally direct novice users into paths full of Webflow website mistakes. This list of the top ten common errors in usability, branding, and conversions, however, offers a way to avoid those problems altogether. The intricacies of strategy, interaction flows, responsiveness, findability, and visual consistency are areas that many early website developers stumble upon. By internalizing these frameworks in advance of designing and building a website, you can overcome these challenges.

‍

Are you looking for someone who can jump these hurdles for you so you can focus on other important aspects of growing your business? Our team of designers at Alien has years of experience in designing Webflow projects for businesses of all sizes and from diverse industries.

‍

Take a look at our previous projects and get in touch with our webflow design expert.

‍

‍

‍