A strong online presence is crucial for businesses to thrive. However, many organisations unknowingly make mistakes on their websites that can negatively impact their overall performance. This article will discuss common mistakes businesses make on their websites and provide practical tips on how to fix them.
Not building a responsive site
Mistake: A website that isn't viewable on a mobile is hurting your business. Mobiles are now the number one way people are accessing the internet yet many websites are hard to view on them with common frustrations including too much text, hard to read fonts, hard to click on buttons and links, and tricky navigation.
Solution: Have your website designed to be responsive. Responsive design automatically reconfigures the website to be viewable on a variety of screens including desktops, tablets and mobiles. Make your fonts standard, structure easy to navigate and have clear call to action buttons. Test your website on various mobile devices to identify any issues and make the necessary adjustments. You can also use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test tool to assess your website's mobile compatibility.
Ineffective call-to-action (CTA) buttons
Mistake: CTA buttons are essential for converting visitors into leads or customers. However, businesses often use vague language, poor button placement, or unappealing designs, reducing the effectiveness of their CTAs and impacting your bottom line.
Solution: Use clear, concise language for your CTAs and place them prominently on your website. Test different colours, shapes, and sizes to find the most effective design. Also, ensure that each CTA focuses on a single action to avoid overwhelming your visitors. Assertively tell them what to do whether it be 'buy now', 'sign up' or 'add to cart' etc.
Not using social proof
Mistake: Social proof in marketing is where people are influenced by others in making purchase decisions by reading things like testimonials, reviews, and recommendations from others who have bought the product or service.
Solution: Encourage customers to leave reviews and feedback whenever they make a purchase. This can be done directly on your website, social media or on a external site like Google Business. Include a social media feed on your website to give visibility to customer comments and provide a clear link to your Google Business page from your website.
Lack of trust signals
Mistake: Insufficient trust signals can hinder sales and customer loyalty. Trust signals, like customer reviews and industry certifications, build credibility and assure potential customers of product or service quality. Without these elements, visitors may doubt the your legitimacy, causing hesitation in purchasing and resulting in lost sales.
Solution: To avoid this detrimental impact, businesses must prioritize incorporating trust signals into their website design and content strategy, fostering confidence and trust among potential customers and enhancing the overall effectiveness of their online presence.
Ignoring search engine optimisation (SEO)
Mistake: Good SEO practices ensure that your website ranks higher in the all-important search engine results, making it more likely for potential customers be driven to your business when doing a web search.
Solution: Use relevant keywords in your website's content, titles, and descriptions, and create high-quality, unique content that is helpful and valuable to your target audience. Additionally, building a strong network of links from other websites back to your site (called a 'backlink profile') can also improve your search engine rankings. This can be done by engaging in link-building activities and building relationships with influencers in your industry.
Ineffective or non-existent content marketing
Mistake: High-quality content not only highlights your offerings but also establishes credibility, addressing the target audience's needs and fostering trust. Varied content formats contribute to a positive user experience, encouraging further exploration and engagement with the brand. Additionally, engaging content is vital for effective SEO, leading to higher search rankings and visibility.
Solution: Develop a content marketing strategy that targets your ideal customer's needs and preferences. Create valuable content in various formats, such as blog posts, videos, and infographics, and share it on social media and other relevant channels. Offer lead magnets like e-books or whitepapers in exchange for visitors' contact information to build your email list and nurture leads.
Poor navigation
Mistake: One of the most frustrating issues users face when visiting a website is poor navigation. Organisations often overlook the importance of a well-structured menu, leading to a confusing and frustrating user experience.
Solution: To improve your website's navigation, create a clear and concise menu with easily identifiable categories. Use dropdown menus if necessary, but don't overdo it. Keep the most important pages, like contact information and product listings, easily accessible from the main menu. Additionally, include a search bar to help users find specific content quickly. The structure should be no more than four levels deep.
Slow loading times
Mistake: A slow-loading website is a major turn-off for potential customers. Research shows that most users will abandon a website if it takes longer than three seconds to load. Not only does this hurt your user experience, but it can also negatively impact your search engine ranking.
Solution: Optimise your website's loading speed by compressing and re-sizing images, minimising the use of large files, and using a reliable hosting service. Regularly test your website's speed using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and address any issues that arise.
Wrapping up
By addressing these common mistakes, organisations can significantly improve their website's performance and provide a better experience for their visitors. Investing time and resources in optimising your website can lead to increased customer engagement, higher conversion rates, a stronger online presence, and ultimately improvement to your bottom line.