One of the most important foundations for any website are the links between pages, products and different parts of your website. This is essentially the framework of your website, with any design features simply used to make this functionality more visually appealing. For most websites, these links will be in the form of buttons, from the call to action button, to the navigation menu buttons. So what are the main problems with broken buttons in web design, and how can these negatively impact your success online? Well, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we are Manchester’s leading web design experts. We work with companies and businesses across Manchester, and the surrounding area, including Wigan and Southport, to provide web design solutions that can help businesses grow. As a result, we have produced this guide to everything you should know about web design buttons and functionality issues.
What is a broken button?
A website button is a design feature that is connected to a link, opening another page in the website, or externally. A broken button does not return the desired outcome, and this can either result in a 404 error page, or not link to anything at all. Broken buttons cover a wide range, including:
- Buttons with broken links- the main aim of any button is to open something, be it a website, page, image or file. So when your button is not working correctly, this will result in users being directed to a page that doesn’t exist, the wrong page, or no page at all. And this can waste the time of your potential customer, and create friction.
- Buttons that do not respond- buttons that have never been assigned a link properly usually have no response at all when clicked on. This can lead to multiple attempts by the website user, resulting in confusion and frustration.
- Buttons that are not able to be clicked or interacted with- finally buttons that are not effectively designed for the screen, or designed responsively, may not even be able to be clicked at all. Whether this is because of the incorrect button positioning or sizing issues, it can cause real issues for the website user.
What are the main problems with broken buttons in web design?
So how can broken buttons cause problems for your company online? Well, buttons that do not work as intended can have a range of negative consequences including:
- Increased bounce rate- as outlined above, broken buttons lead to frustration and anger, and this is more than likely to increase the bounce rate of your website users, who will simply leave to another competitor.
- Loss of sales and sign ups- if people cant use your checkout button, how can they pay for their items? Well, the simple answer is, they cant. They will be stuck on the checkout screen, without being able to interact at all.
- Low company opinion-website buttons are a basic component of any website. So if your website buttons do not work, your potential customers are likely to form a negative opinion of your company, and this can be long-lasting.
For more information or advice, get in touch with the experts today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester.