Having a quality website is critical for your small business. It doesn’t matter what kind of business you run — there’s no way to get around it. While there’s a lot that goes into creating a top-notch website that serves you and your customers well, the good news is web design firms like MWE Creative can work with your vision and needs and do the heavy lifting. If you’re not sure where to begin in figuring out what makes a great business website, keep in mind these seven common mistakes that can harm your business:
1. Neglecting to Have a Website
Surprisingly, about half of small businesses in the US don’t have a website. Considering that your site is where many customers and potential customers will learn about your business, not to mention buy products, this is astounding. Your website is a virtual storefront, and if done correctly, most of your content marketing will lead consumers to your site. If you’re still on the fence about whether having a website is worth the investment, it’s time to take the plunge. Plus, when you work with the right web designer, the trust they will build with you and the excitement you’ll feel for seeing the final product will quickly replace the fears and doubts currently weighing you down.
2. Poor Design
Having a poorly-designed website is almost as bad as not having one at all. Take time to do your own homework on basic design principles if you want to create the website yourself. Or ensure that the developer you work with is well versed in design best practices. Make it a conversation, review their portfolio or even request a mockup with their proposal. Overall, your site should be clean and attractive and utilize tasteful colors and fonts. It should be easy to navigate and it should provide descriptive content and images.
3. Lack of Security
All it takes is one bad cyberattack to soil your reputation or wipe out your business. Your website must be secure so that all sensitive information is protected from cybercriminals. Some of this will be built in to the platform you choose (e.g. Wordpress, Wix, or Squarespace) but some of it also falls on you to make sure you have strong passwords that you periodically change. Remember, when providing log in credentials to your website designer, you can provide it over the phone, request they destroy any confidential info, or use secure messaging platforms like One Time Secret
4. Not Staying Up to Date
Just as creating a quality website is essential, so is maintaining the quality. Remember that your site will be the first impression that many people get of your company so they won’t want to see old product promotions for Christmas in the middle of July, or event details for 2020 when it’s 2021. Keep your site updated on a regular basis, most developers provide affordable monthly retainers, and consider a full redesign every 1-2 years.
5. Missing A Call-to-Action
Every business website should encourage visitors to take a next step after arriving on the homepage. It’s not being pushy or sales-y. Visitors expect to be greeted and provided with an indication of how to find the info they’re searching for. They don’t want to spend precious extra seconds figuring out how to navigate your site, so make it easy on them with a call to action or CTA. Whether you want the audience to read a blog, add an item to the cart, or sign up for a newsletter, make sure there is a clearly-written, concise CTA on every web page.
6. Lack of Brand Messaging
Good website content requires more than well-executed grammar or high-resolution videos. The content you provide on your website must speak to your target audience, the problems that keep them up at night, and the solution you provide (and why it’s the best there is). Nowadays, it’s not enough to simply sell a product or service, you have to tell a story and build a unique brand voice. It may not sound fun or easy, but it’s essential if you want to stand out from competition and build trust with consumers.
7. Poor Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO refers to best practices that help your website rank higher on search engine pages. This is a huge and constantly changing area in marketing so it’s important to work with a web designer who knows their stuff. A few examples of SEO projects your designer should discuss with you, include regularly posting quality content, promoting it on social media, performing competitor research and keyword analysis and using proper header tags and metadata throughout the website. You can always hire an SEO expert in tandem with a web developer, or choose an expert digital marketer for a full service experience.
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Few things are more important for your business than creating and maintaining a top-notch website. Web design is complex, and you probably have plenty of other things to do as you run your business. That’s why hiring a professional can be so beneficial. Consider the common mistakes listed here, and meet with a professional web designer to start developing the website your company needs to flourish. Chances are you’ll see it pay off in no time.