7 Website Mistakes That Could Kill Your Business
7 Website Mistakes That Could Kill Your Business
Websites are an important part of running a business. They are a means of attracting new customers and as a business owner they can make your life easier. You can use your website as a platform to connect with customers and a way of managing your brand.
This is why it’s important to consider the content, design and functionality of your website.
Your website is often the first interaction a potential customer has with your business, so you want to make a good, if not a great, first impression. If your website irritates or bores a potential client, then you’re in trouble.
Here are seven mistakes you could be making that are driving those customers away.
- Buried Information
A common problem that can be found on websites is that important information is difficult to find. Keep your website’s functionality in mind:
- What do you want users to get out of the website?
- What are they likely to be searching for?
Website visitors want to be able to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily, and your website should accommodate for this. Make sure to consider the design and layout of your website, how you will structure it and where you will put what information. This involves deciding what information is a priority.
For example, almost half of website visitors will leave a website if they can’t see visible contact information. Everything on your website should be self-explanatory and potential customers should be able to find what they’re looking for in a matter of clicks.
- Long Chunks of Text
People usually skim read through text on websites and can be overwhelmed if they’re greeted by huge chunks of text when they click onto a website. They don’t want to have to read pages and pages about the history of your company or how you set up your business.
- Be clear and concise in the delivery of your message.
- Consider the acronym KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) when coming up with content for your website.
- Use short sentences and break the text up into smaller sections so that it doesn’t look so visually overwhelming.
Use everyday, conversational language and avoid officialese. This also means using the active voice rather than the passive voice. You want potential customers to feel as if they are talking to you.
- An Unclear Call to Action
A successful and effective website requires a call-to-action. A call-to-action tells website visitors in an explicit way what they should do and how they should proceed, for example to make an inquiry, purchase a product or use a particular service.
Your call-to-action needs to be simple and require little effort on the part of the potential customer. Too many fields in contact forms, asking too much information or not stating a clear outcome will put them off.
Make your call-to-action compelling by using a sense of urgency and state a clear benefit that the website visitor will get from taking action.
- No Mobile Optimisation
These days, many people use their phones in place of a desktop or laptop. Often potential customers will be using their smartphone to access your website and studies show that the users are more likely to leave your site if they don’t have a positive mobile experience.
No smartphone user wants to see tiny images or areas of the website that won’t load properly. They are looking for a website whose layout naturally adapts to the device, making it easy to navigate and user-friendly.
In terms of the important information your mobile site should contain, consider including a clear logo, your contact information and a list of products or services on offer.
- Autoplay Music or Videos
When browsing through websites, people want to feel as if they’re in control of their experience which is why unwanted music or videos playing loudly or unexpectedly is likely to annoy them. The problem with autoplay music or videos is that potential customers will often just close the website rather than search for a mute or pause button.
Leave the choice of listening to music or watching a video file to the website visitor. Giving them choice also shows that you are putting the user’s needs above your desire to promote your business.
- Broken Links
Broken links are detrimental because they not only will disappoint website visitors but they will also affect your Google ranking. This means your website will lose traffic and this can result in a serious loss of business opportunities.
When website visitors encounter broken links they will feel as if you’ve wasted their time. Make sure all links work and take you to the pages that they are meant to take you to.
- Too Many Ads or Pop-up Ads
Advertisements, particular pop-up ones, are a distraction to website visitors. They can overshadow your own content and disrupt the overall style of your website. Pop-up ads are particularly irritating to website users because they’re unexpected and can interrupt a user’s experience of the website while they’re looking for information. These cover the website’s content and essentially create an obstacle between your potential customer and your website.
- Incorrect Spelling or Grammar Use
Incorrect spelling or grammar use not only makes content difficult to read but it also shows a level of unprofessionalism. If you can’t be trusted to correct a simple spelling error then why should a potential customer trust you?
Proofread and edit any content that you add to the website to prevent this.
There are simple things you can do to enhance the power and effectiveness of your website but there are also easy mistakes that can negatively impact your business and the reputation of your brand. Be aware of what makes a great website and what makes a bad one!
Guest post by au.evoice.com
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