Your website is more than just an online placeholder or the virtual equivalent of a Yellow Pages entry. In a very real way, it’s your digital storefront; the public face of your brand; the encapsulation of your brand’s values, identity, and reputation.
For many first-time clients and potential customers, your website sets that all-important first impression—and if the website is doing its job properly, it’ll capture their information and help guide them through the sales funnel, all while establishing your brand as the brand of choice.
All of this to say: You don’t want your website’s power and presence to be diluted by some small, avoidable mistakes—simple and oft-times honest errors that can nevertheless prove costly, even disastrous.
How the Little Things Can Ruin Your Business Website
We’ll share some of the most common ones—website problems for you to avoid if you can, and correct if you need to.
- Overdoing it on the Flash. Flash animation can sometimes be used to good effect, but there are a couple of things to watch out for. For one, Flash is sometimes a little bit iffy on Apple devices—and Apple devices are, well, pretty popular! Additionally, and more broadly, Flash can make a site take longer to load, which leads to a higher bounce rate. So while judicious use of Flash may sometimes be fine, it’s not something to use liberally.
- Making your site too image-heavy. Your website needs to offer a compelling visual experience, but there is such a thing as overdoing it with pictures. The concern here is the same as above: It may mean that your site takes too long to load. Try accessing your page on a few different devices, and if you notice it taking more than three or four seconds to load, you may need to scale some things back.
- Over optimizing. You’ve probably heard that keywords and links are important for getting good Google rankings, and indeed they are—up to a point. But there is very much such a thing as over optimization, and if your SEO elements are detracting from the user experience then you need to lighten up.
- Forgetting the call to action. Every page of your site should have a strong call to action—an invitation for your reader to take the next step and keep travelling through the sales funnel. A site without good calls to action is simply not going to be an effective site—period.
- Forgetting your phone number. The company number should be posted on every page of the site, not just on the Contact Us page. This beefs up your call to action and makes your company seem that much more accessible, but it also helps ensure proper local search listings.
- Writing boring content. There’s an old SEO saying that “content is king”—but content isn’t just a concern for Google’s search bots. The quality and interest found in your content will ultimately determine how many readers stay on your site, and how many turn around and leave.
- Not optimizing for mobile devices. Finally, if you haven’t checked to confirm that your site looks good on smartphones and tablets, you need to do so immediately; mobile users represent far too vast an audience not to take seriously.
Make sure you’re working with a website that is error-free—and if you need help doing so, reach out to us any time for a consult!
Summary:
An error-free website is essential for search engine success—and for capturing and keeping leads.
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