Remember way back in the day, when not everyone and their grandmother had a website? Now everywhere you look, it’s website this and blog that. It goes much further than personal use. In this day and age, having a website as a business tool is not only a good idea, it’s absolutely essential. It’s a sign of the times that companies without an online presence are probably due to fail. What many companies don’t understand, unfortunately, is that it’s easy to make mistakes on your website that may cause you to lose business. But don’t worry — we’re here to help — which is why we’ve compiled several such mistakes that you will want to avoid:
- Bland Homepage — Have you ever visited a website that looks like it was created on a Tandy computer (Google that, if needed)? There are many websites out there, even by established businesses, that are using very simple templates that nowadays would barely get a passing grade in a 2nd grade computer class. This makes you look unprofessional, which is bad news.
- Busy Homepage — On the flip side to being bland, some companies go for too much “flash.” Yes, your website should pop, but if you have huge fonts, neon colors, and strobing text all over the place, face it — you’re doing it all wrong.
- No Social Media Links — Like it or not, Social Media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and others are a part of our collective consciousness now. Don’t just shove in as many as you can to make a point, though. Focus on the ones that would be best for your website and business.
- Lack of Mobile Awareness — The world as we know it is now the world of smartphones. Not everyone has one, but they are definitely taking over. Millions of potential customers browse the internet on their smartphones on a daily basis, which is why it’s important to maximize your website for viewing on these devices. If you don’t know how, that’s when you need to use your own smartphone to call a professional.
- Search Engines Can’t Find You — One of the best ways to bring traffic to your site is to maximize SEO (search engine optimization) so that when someone is looking for a service you offer, they’ll have a better chance at landing on your page. If not, then it’s like asking potential customers to find a needle in a haystack the size of Jupiter.
- No Blogging — In recent years, blogging has become one of the best ways to not only attract customers to your website, but to connect to them as well. People love to read blogs about a variety of subjects, and if you can entertain and educate them, while covertly (or even openly) advertising what you have to offer, success will be closer than ever.
- Stagnant Website — I can’t tell you how many times I’ve visited a website and thought, “Oh, hey, that’s neat.” But then I realize that they’re advertising old information. Hint: if the “coming soon” advertisement was posted in 2010 and no updates have been made sense then, whatever you’re interested in is not coming soon.
- Website Only — Okay, so you now know the importance of having a website for your business, and some of the mistakes that you shouldn’t make. But your website should be used as a starting off point. Once you have that where you want it to be, it’s time to branch out through targeted marketing efforts, whether it’s e-mail marketing, Pay-per-Click, social media marketing, etc.
Now that you know which mistakes to avoid, isn’t it time to whip up a website that will attract more customers to your business?