Businesses invest a lot of time and money into marketing channels like paid traffic, SEO, and social media. In many cases, though, their website does not reach the heights users expect from a quality brand. A poor website experience can harm your reputation, reducing the effectiveness of all your other marketing strategies. Creating a quality website does not need to be difficult, though, and with some simple adjustments, you can prevent recurring problems. Here, customer-focused digital marketing firm WNY Holdings lists some common mistakes that appear on many business websites; aim to ensure you don’t suffer from the same issues.
1. Loading Issues
A serious gripe of visitors is loading issues. The time it takes to load is often the biggest concern; a matter of seconds can make a huge difference in the user experience. Also, elements on the page may not load appropriately, leaving blank spaces or conspicuous coding errors. A tool like GTmetrix can spot any issues, offering quick solutions to common problems. It is also worth looking at how your site loads across a range of devices.
2. Poor Mobile Experience
More than half of all site visits will probably be from a mobile device. If you can’t offer a quality experience for these visitors, you will inevitably lose much business. While most sites usually get designed on a desktop, you need to also look at how they work on mobile devices. Buttons should be large and visible, with less clutter than could be allowed on a desktop site.
3. No Calls to Action
While a business website can help with branding, you do want people to take action. You may be trying to capture leads through an email list or make a sale. However, these tasks are more difficult when you don’t direct visitors to the appropriate places. A call to action can be used to lead visitors towards the goal, with text links and visible buttons helping to promote the click.
4. Complex Navigation
A simple business website might only feature a handful of pages. More significant sites, though, often require many categories and sub-pages. Getting the navigation right for a more substantial site can be tricky, with visitors getting confused when there are too many options. As you collect data, you should know which pages are most popular. You can draw attention to these aspects while ensuring your search facility is user-friendly.
5. Messy Layout
Trying to cram too much into your homepage is a common mistake. A business might feel it is vital to get as much information across as possible, with most visitors accessing the site on the same page. However, you can reduce the amount of attention, confusing and distracting people with excessive content. Aim to make your pages attractive and straightforward, providing plenty of white space around crucial elements.
6. No Blog
A blog should be a core element, but many businesses don’t know what content to create. Your blog content, though, doesn’t have to relate to your business directly. If you run a gym chain, for example, you could include general fitness articles. Alternatively, your blog could take the form of a diary, detailing aspects of the business most customers wouldn’t know. If your blog is well-produced, it will attract traffic and help to solidify your brand.
7. Lack of Updates
Many business websites, particularly among smaller companies, are small and static. The site is developed to include the most pertinent information, but never developed further. These types of sites will stand out to visitors, indicating that they are not regularly updated or maintained. It is essential to add new information, so users know you are active and engaged. A blog and a list of business updates can quickly indicate the website is functioning.
8. Contact Info Issues
Enabling visitors to get in touch with you is a primary function of a website. A simple contact form is easy to set up, but it doesn’t always offer the best way for customers to reach you. Aim to include as many options as possible, ensuring visitors feel they can get in touch. You could add a visible phone number, live chat tools, and social media links, giving multiple options that suit each individual.
9. Not Optimized for the Search Engines
SEO can become a valuable source of traffic for a business. If your website gets recognized as a hub for your particular niche, you can reap the rewards of top listings for relevant keywords. Unfortunately, many sites don’t optimize correctly, with SEO not being a consideration in the development stages. Elements like title tags, descriptions, rich snippets, image optimization, and internal linking can all help with your SEO efforts.
It is easy to make simple mistakes when creating a website, but the repercussions can be extensive. Individual elements that may seem minor can lead to a poor user experience, particularly when these issues start to add up. Your website will be the central hub for your online business, with users making decisions about your brand based on their browsing experience. While everyone has the best intentions with a new site, sometimes you need to audit your existing platform and identify any factors holding back your success.
About WNY Holdings LLC
WNY Holdings LLC was started in 2018 to provide industry-leading marketing services for small businesses. The founders are a husband and wife team, Ben and Melissa, who left their corporate jobs to specialize in helping restaurants, coffee shops, and retailers utilize tailored digital marketing strategies to attract visitors and turn them into loyal customers. WNY Holdings offers services such as content marketing, web design, graphic design, media creation, SEO, and Facebook advertising. They focus on creating an excellent user experience that keeps customers coming back for more. Throughout the process, ongoing data analysis and custom reporting help clients track and understand how their digital marketing efforts are helping their businesses thrive.
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/technology/digital-marketing-company-wny-holdings-llc-details-9-frequent-website-mistakes-made-by-online-businesses/
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