The Hidden Costs of a Poorly Designed Website

Your website is your business’s most important digital asset.

However, inevitable budget restrictions can make it tempting to opt for cheaper web design solutions.

After all, does the design really make much of a difference beyond aesthetics?

Well, the reality is that a poorly designed site can end up costing your business more in the long run.

In this post, we’ll outline these hidden costs of cutting corners in your web design. Then we’ll explain what to look for when selecting a web design agency to ensure your website looks good, runs smoothly, and supports your business goals.

Let’s dive right in.

The Costly Consequences of Bad Web Design

1. Loss of Trust and Credibility

A poorly designed website can quickly erode people’s trust in your brand.

First impressions matter, and your website is often the first point of contact potential customers ever have with your business. So, if your website seems below par, why should they expect your products or services to be any different?

Users expect a professional, easy-to-use, and up-to-date website that reflects your competence as a business. If they encounter broken links, cluttered layouts, and outdated designs, chances are they’ll instantly lose confidence in your business. Worse, they may even warn others against visiting your site, further damaging your reputation.

Keep in mind that 50% of consumers consider website design when forming their opinion about a brand.

Trust and credibility are hard to regain once they’ve been lost. And a bad web design can create a lasting negative impression that is very difficult to reverse.

2. Increased Bounce Rates

Poor web design also drives visitors away before they’ve even had the chance to learn about your products and services.

Bounce rate refers to the percentage of users who leave your website after viewing only one page (without clicking any other links or engaging with your content). A high bounce rate often indicates that your site doesn’t meet the user’s expectations.

For example, if your pages take too long to load, users may become impatient and leave your site to find an alternative. In fact, Google says that the probability of a user “bouncing” from your page rises by 32% as the load time increases from one to three seconds.

Likewise, if your site’s navigation is hard to use, visitors might struggle to find the information they need and simply abandon the site out of frustration.

Obviously, if users leave your site before they’ve even explored what your business offers, you can’t turn them into customers.

3. Lower Conversion Rates

Even when users don’t immediately abandon a poorly designed site, the chances that they’ll actually convert (take a desired action—like buying something) is also pretty slim.

For example, a confusing layout, unclear calls-to-action (CTAs), and a complicated checkout process all create friction that discourage users from completing a purchase.

And as with bounce rates, page load speed has a significant impact on conversion rates. According to a 2022 study by Portent, ecommerce sites that take just one second to load convert 2.5 times more than those that take five seconds to load.

The hidden cost of lower conversion rates adds up quickly. Every missed conversion represents lost revenue (or, at least, an unrealized lead). Over time, these losses can have a serious impact on your business’s growth.

4. Less Effective SEO and PPC Campaigns

Sites that deliver a poor user experience also tend to underperform when it comes to SEO (search engine optimization) and PPC (paid search).

It’s important to appreciate that Google takes your site’s user experience into account when determining where your pages should rank in the search results.

For example, Google’s Core Web Vitals measure key aspects of a site’s performance, including load time, interactivity, and visual stability. If your site is slow to load or difficult to interact with, it will negatively affect your rankings.

Moreover, Google’s mobile-first indexing means the search engine only uses the mobile version of your site for indexing and ranking purposes. So, if your mobile user experience is substandard, your rankings will likely take a hit.

For PPC, poor web design can negatively impact your Google Ads Quality Score—a key factor that influences the cost and performance of your search ads. This is because landing page experience is one of the key components of the Quality Score.

In other words, if your landing page is slow, confusing, or doesn’t meet the expectations set by the ad, it will lead to worse ad performance, higher cost-per-click (CPC), and reduced return on investment.

5. Increased Customer Support Costs

Bad web design can also end up placing a greater burden on your customer service team.

If potential customers can’t find the information they need on your website—whether it’s because of confusing navigation, broken links, or unclear product descriptions—they have no option but to reach out to your business directly.

This increased demand on your support staff adds to your business’s workload and operational costs. And since your team spends so much time handling questions that could have been easily addressed with a well-designed site, they have less time to focus on higher-value tasks.

6. Greater Security Risks

Poor web design can expose your business and visitors to significant security risks.

If your site isn’t built according to security best practices, it could have vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit.

Needless to say, security flaws are bad news. They can lead to breaches of sensitive customer data or even full-scale attacks that take your site offline. And a single major security incident can devastate your brand’s reputation and lead to costly fines.

To mitigate these risks, it’s essential to prioritize security during the web design process. This includes establishing strong encryption protocols, regularly updating software and plugins, and implementing secure authentication and password management systems.

7. Higher Maintenance Costs

Lastly, poorly designed websites often require more frequent and costly maintenance over time.

Sites built with outdated technology or inefficient coding practices are more susceptible to technical issues, bugs, and compatibility problems.

This means your business may need to regularly fork out to patch issues, troubleshoot errors, or even redesign entire sections of the site just to keep it functional.

What’s more, if your site wasn’t designed with scalability in mind, you may find it difficult to add new features as your business grows. This could lead to a situation where you need to completely overhaul the site much sooner than expected—an expense you could have avoided by investing in a more robust design upfront.

What to Look for in a Web Design Agency

Now that you’re familiar with the dangers of underinvesting in web design, let’s briefly address what you should seek in a worthwhile web design vendor.

Here are the key factors to consider:

• User-centric approach to design: The agency should prioritize user experience, focusing on elements like intuitive navigation, fast load times, and mobile responsiveness.
• SEO and performance optimization: The agency should have a deep knowledge of SEO best practices. For example, they should understand the need for a logical site structure, internal links, and optimized meta tags.
• Customization and scalability: The agency should know how to build a flexible website that you can easily adapt as your business grows.
• Emphasis on security: The agency should be serious about website security. Their standard security protocols should include encryption, regular site updates, and ongoing vulnerability assessments.
• Ongoing support and maintenance: The agency should offer post-launch support and regular maintenance to keep your site functional and up to date.
• Proven track record of good results: The agency should have a strong history of delivering high-quality, effective designs that meet client needs.

Further reading: Web Design RFP Template With Sample Questions

Final Thoughts

Poor web design can seriously hinder your ability to land new customers.

We’ve seen that bad design deters users from sticking around, harms your SEO and PPC efforts, and exposes your company to unnecessary security risks.

High-quality web design isn’t a luxury. It’s essential for running any successful business with an online presence.