Your website is one of the most important aspects of your business. It can be hard to keep up with all the latest updates.
However, there are big website mistakes that businesses make that potentially hurt your company.
Here are some of the most common website mistakes businesses make as well as how to fix them.
Focusing More on Traffic Versus Conversion
Too often people think the more traffic, the more conversions which is a very common website mistake. People focus on trying to get as many visitors as we can, but aren’t getting enough people to take action. Why? Well one of of the main reasons is, you aren’t reaching your targeted audience. You may be getting a lot of viewers but not the specific viewers that need your service. So what can you do? Changing the wording on your site is a potential way to increase conversions.The copy on your site needs to be phrased in such a way that’s customized towards your target audience otherwise known as content marketing. Website conversion rate is nearly 6 times higher for people who engage in content marketing according to SmartBugMedia.You need to add consistent content to your website as well as high quality content. This will help with SEO and eventually conversions.
Hiring Your Neighbor to Build Your Website
This is one of the biggest website mistakes of all. Yes, there are many free online web builders that anyone can use. However, it looks unprofessional and does very little for your business. Without an original domain, you won’t rank anywhere on Google Search. Another issue is if you try to move websites in the future, you risk losing credit for all links aimed at your website according to AmericanExpress. Free online builders come with standard and overused templates that won’t represent your business in the best way. Another downside to using a self web builder is tracking traffic onto your site. Hire a web design company. Web designers can tailor the design to compliment your uniqueness and branding. A good web design company can manage the stats, compile reports for you and make recommendations on landing pages, changes to site structure and content to help boost your organic ranking.
Website Isn’t Optimized for SEO
Tailoring your website for SEO is your best opportunity to get ranked on Google Search. Write with subheads and highlighted keywords. Keep texts bold and short and content in an inverted pyramid order. You want the most important content at the top. Page titles should start with your business company name followed by a brief description of the site. Don’t start with words like “The” or “Welcome”. All the little things you do for your website can add to your search engine ranking such as having a blog, linking to authority sites, and writing original content.
Website Looks Too Busy
Squeezing in as much information onto a page is no longer welcome. One of the most common website mistakes is having a cluttered and confusing website without having a sense of flow and easy navigation. People need a clean looking website especially when viewing from mobile devices. Tabs and links need to be easy to find. It’s all about simplicity now. You might want to show off all your best work and photos, but it can be a little overwhelming to a viewer.
A great website experience is something your customers truly value. It can be the reason a customer chooses your service over another.
Take your landing pages very seriously and test them out. A great landing page experience can help you gain loyal customers.
According to a MarketingExperiments, 64% of marketers say landing pages are the most important online factor of testing your promise of value to be delivered. Here are things you need to keep in mind when improving your landing pages.
Mobile Landing Pages
It’s extremely important to optimize your landing page for mobile devices. As soon as your page opens, a prospective customer should be able to see the entire page on the device no matter the size of the screen. If a landing page isn’t mobile, important information can be cut off, images too big and fonts too small. You don’t want your customer zooming in and out in frustration.What you want is a great landing page that has large fonts, tabs and is fast to load. Not only are mobile landing pages beneficial for customers, but for you as well. If you go mobile, your search ranking will be higher, you’ll get more page views and this can translate into conversion rates. Creating a mobile site led to a 153% increase in conversions for Deluxe according to SlideShare. If it works for them, it can work for you.
It’s Not About You
Remember it’s not about you – it’s about the customers. What you have to offer to make their lives better should be the focus of your pages. They don’t want to know about your comapny’s success or your CEO’s life story. It’s all about the products or service itself. Make your pages faster to load by simplifying them. Although you want to include creative and cool elements, less is more when it comes to a great landing page. Don’t be disappointed because simplicity is one the latest web trends.
Who, What, Where, Why
Give customers all the information they need.They should know all the basics of your service within the short time they spend on your website. Let them know who you are and what your service is all about. Show people where they can find your service or products. Provide links and directions to your location. If you want to be tech savvy, link Google maps to your website so they find you in a convenient manner. Most importantly, include why your product should be chosen. There are many companies like you, so why should your product/service be used over others? Is it the price, quality, or the values of your company?
People should leave your website feeling fully knowledgeable about what your services are and satisfied with a great landing page experience.
Contact NuZoo Media for more information
about creating a great landing page.
The lack of certain website features can be the reason your website traffic and conversion rates aren’t where you want them to be.
If people are leaving your site without returning or taking action, it might not be about the product or service but the website experience.
The way you represent your business is vital because your website is the first place people go to find out about your services. Here are a few website features you can’t go without.
Mobile
Because mobile devices are a huge component of online activity, going mobile is one of the most important website features you need to have. Customers want a fast and easy way of viewing a website, especially with a small screen space. 61% of consumers like a brand more when they have a pleasant mobile experience according to Mobify. Going mobile shows consumers that your business is innovative updated and active.
Social Media Platforms
The presence of social media on your site is critical. Social media is great for networking, communicating and showing people what you’re all about. People on social media can help your business grow by writing about your business, sharing your posts and inviting friends to follow you. Use social media to promote your products and offer promotions. Social media also gives you a platform to show your customers how you’re engaged with the community. Have share buttons on the front page of your website where it’s visible and stands out.
Sign Up Form
This is a call to action. Encourage customers to sign up for your e-newsletter. Through newsletters, you can inform people about your services, news and promotions. Offer incentives for signing up such as a discount on a product. This is a great way to interact with your customers by sending out emails on a consistent basis. Have your sign-up button on the front of your page where it stands out.
Blog
If you don’t already have one, a blog is one of the website features that gives your company a plus. Blogging is a great way for customers to get to know more about your company and the people that work there. Writing articles about your industry, its’ products and services helps position you as an expert and builds trust with customers. Customers can leave comments and questions for an interactive and personal experience. Blogs generate 126% more leads than those without a blog according to Yahoo! Small Business. A valuable part of blogging is that it can generate more traffic through search engine optimization (SEO). If your website has a blog, your website can be easier to find on search engines because they love fresh content to index.
Why? Because 61% of consumers like a brand more when they have a pleasant mobile experience according to Mobify.
These numbers prove that consumers value mobile interaction with a website.
So in 2015 you need a website that’s optimized for these devices. A mobile website benefits you with happier customers and repeat traffic. But it benefits consumers by giving them bigger text to read, links that are easier to click, and search options that actually work on a cell phone.
You can test your website to see if it’s mobile using Google’s mobile friendly test. Click here to run the test.
The Lowdown On Why You Should Mobilize Your Website
Mobile Is Growing Exponentially
Smartphones are taking over big time. One out of five people in the world own a smartphone now according to Businessinsider. People are using their mobile devices to buy almost everything and anything. This year mobile marketing in the U.S. is projected to make $400 billion. That’s almost double what it made compared to just 3 years ago, according to WebDam. Because mobile devices are a huge component of online activity, you need to mobilize your website in order to accommodate this rapid change.
Easier For Your Customers To Access Your Website
Remember it’s not about you – it’s about your customers. Customers want a fast and easy way of viewing a website, especially with a small screen space. Because a mobilized website calls for simple design, it will load faster. If your website is mobile, tabs will be larger and easier to click on. Fonts are bigger and images are reduced. Mobile sites are easier to navigate and have a more noticeable call to action. This way people don’t have to zoom in to read or click.
Google awards websites that are mobile. These websites will be ranked higher than non-mobilized websites. If you mobilize your website it’ll load faster, and download speed is among the factors for your website search ranking. If your SEO is greater, then you’re getting more page views. With that, your analytics will look better.
Your Competitors Have Done It
You’ve got to jump on the boat. You don’t want your competitors looking more advanced than you. But guess what? According to Searchengineland, only 5% of the top 500 online retailers have a mobile website. That’s a relatively small number! So this is a great opportunity for you to get ahead of your competitors. Who knows, maybe your competitors will look up your website.
You can test your website to see if it’s mobile using Google’s mobile friendly test. Click here to run the test.
Your website is one of the most important aspects of your business. It can be hard to keep up with all the latest updates.
A great website experience is something your customers truly value. It can be the reason a customer chooses your service over another.
The lack of certain website features can be the reason your website traffic and conversion rates aren’t where you want them to be.
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s time for you to mobilize your website.