Blog Post

The Real Consequences of Poor Web Design

Amber Blevins • Mar 03, 2023

The success of any business hinges on its ability to attract and retain customers. And an online presence is an essential factor in that endeavor. This is especially true for local business owners who are striving to attract the attention of a specific group—local consumers.


While most local business owners recognize the importance of a strong website, many overlook the significance of their site’s design. From influencing how discoverable your website is, to providing an intuitive user experience that encourages people to stick around and engage with your brand, website design plays a huge role in attracting customers and driving sales. But it's not just about looks—there are powerful SEO benefits too.


Ignoring these key elements of the user experience could have serious consequences for your brand. 

Losing Potential Customers

A poorly designed website can turn away customers.

Since the dawn of the internet, consumers have increasingly become savvier and more demanding when it comes to their user experience on a website. Those same expectation apply to search engine optimization (SEO,) as well.


Websites that are not designed with user experience (UX) and SEO in mind risk losing potential customers due to poor navigation, slow-loading pages, unclear calls to action, or difficulty in finding what they need. A poorly designed website can be difficult to navigate and make visitors feel frustrated, resulting in lost business.


Prioritizing UX and SEO ensures visitors stay on your website long enough to convert into actual customers.

SEO Struggles

A well-designed website offers excellent SEO benefits.

Your website is the cornerstone of your digital marketing efforts. In other words, having a well-designed, user-friendly site is essential to leveraging effective SEO tactics.


Search engines have very sophisticated algorithms that determine the value of a website and where it should rank in search results. A clear navigation structure, high-quality content, and an engaging design are just a few things in the (very) long list of elements Google and other search engines are checking.



Broadly speaking, designing your website with an emphasis on search engine optimization will have the natural byproduct of producing a website that’s also user-friendly.

Accessibility Matters

Always consider disabled audiences when designing a website.

In a world where the internet rules how people access information, it’s essential for businesses to ensure their websites are accessible to all audiences. This includes considering disabled users when creating and designing your site.


Not only is embracing accessibility an ethical responsibility, but it also reflects positively on the brand, making it become more attractive to potential customers., Designing your business’s website with accessibility in mind will bring is a natural path to enhancing both UX and SEO.


Companies that take the time to make sure their websites are accessible to everyone—regardless of physical or cognitive abilities—will benefit from higher search engine rankings and higher conversion rates. 

Navigation is Key

Make sure your website is easy to navigate.

When it comes to website navigation, the simpler the better. Customers are more likely to linger on your website and take the next step in your sales funnel if it's easy for them to locate what they're looking for quickly and intuitively.



Organize your webpages with clarity and logic, choose the images you add to your site with care, and make it exceedingly easy for site visitors to contact you. And don’t forget about page loading speeds. A webpage that takes just a few extra seconds to load can often be the difference between making a sale or losing one.

The Risk of Poor Design

 A bad website design can hurt your business.

Good website design is more than just an aesthetic choice. It can mean the difference between success and failure in your business. Poor design can hurt your user experience, your SEO ranking, your ability to draw in customers, and more—all of which can result in financial losses. 



Conversely, a site that’s well designed, user friendly, and optimized for search engines can attract more customers, strengthen your brand, and increase your bottom line.

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