The most common mistakes business owners make when building their website
A website is recognized as the most important tool in the world of digital marketing today. Traditional marketing solutions are simply no longer a match for the potential that the online world introduces. Recent studies even indicate that referrals are losing influence they have on consumers. Consumers today are capable of doing their own research on a product/service before deciding to purchase it. And when we take a closer look at those consumers, stats show that as many as 49% of them note website design as the #1 ranking factor when it comes to credibility.
Unfortunately, not all business owners are aware of this so they tend to neglect a lot of things when creating a website. To help you avoid this, the team here at Digital Dot will explore the most common mistakes business owners make when building their websites. After all, so long as you develop an ideal website from the start, there will be no need to waste time and resources on rebuilding it afterward.
What is the importance of avoiding mistakes with web development and design?
We’ve already covered how essential the existence of a website is for both businesses and consumers today. And as we move forward, this level of importance will only grow.
The reality of modern-day business is that the overall quality of a website can make or break a business. And one can see this in every niche and location. Poor websites tend to under-perform and fail whereas quality ones take the charge and come out on top. As a team of professional digital marketers, we’ve witnessed and examined both sides of the coin. And we can tell you right now – most of your competitors are aware of this and are already working on it as you’re reading this. So, the time to start thinking about this matter is now.
8 of the most common mistakes business owners make when building their websites
Every upgrade and change starts with collecting data on the topic. The same rule applies here. If you wish to create a website that stands out and is the perfect representation of your brand, then you need to learn what not to do. These are the eight most common obstacles to avoid:
#1: Using an overly complex website management platform
We’ve come across this issue with clients in the past. You want to build a website but have no prior knowledge in terms of web development. So, you opt for what the competitors use, what is the most advertise or a bit above your budget. Each of these reasons is a potential mistake just waiting to backfire.
Certainly, when push comes to small businesses and limited budgets, others will recommend Squarespace. Those looking for a more diverse platform will often come across Shopify. And these are both good options although limited ones. If you truly want the best of both worlds, what you want and what we always recommend is using WordPress. Easy-to-use, with an array of functions, it is an affordable and popular way to build and operate a website.
#2: Building a website without the option to capture emails
Email marketing is a very prominent approach in digital marketing and one that can bring in great results if done properly. Just consider the following stats:
- 25 percent of Americans have an Instagram account.
- 50 percent of Americans have a Facebook account.
- Over 90 percent of Americans have one or more emails that they use daily.
Tempted as you might be to focus your efforts on social media, your primary focus should still remain on emails. And neglecting this while setting up your website is one of the common mistakes business owners make. As a result, most of them stagnate or significantly slow down their brand-building process.
Using your website to collect emails and send out email campaigns can contribute to your lead generation and gathering efforts.
#3: Excluding a blog with optimized and valuable content from a website
Naming yourself an expert in your niche and having others recognize it through your expertise are two very different things. When faced with obstacles or questions, people tend to turn to experts in specific fields. And having a blog that covers a wide range of topics and answers the most commonly asked questions in your industry is definitely something that can get you noticed.
A lot of business owners still remain skeptical when it comes to introducing a blog while building their websites. Digital Dot is here to confirm the overall importance and impact such a deep well of content can have on your online presence. By posting valuable knowledge in the form of articles, you will enable people to recognize you as the expert they need. Furthermore, optimizing those articles will result in search engines recognizing you as the go-to-website for popular online queries.
Quality blog posts can lead to daily visits to your website which can result in high-quality leads. Not including them in the overall structure of your website is a mistake you shouldn’t tamper with.
#4: Not using analytics to track visitors and behavior data
Building a website is all nice and well, but the work never really stops there. One of the common mistakes business owners make is thinking that once it’s up and running, that’s it. Digital trends change all the time, especially in terms of web design solutions and web development expertise. The only way to stay on top is to monitor the overall performance of your website:
- Track conversions (clicks on Calls to Action, soft and hard leads, etc.)
- Monitor web pages that have high traffic and high bounce rates
- Conduct A/B testing and monitor the changes in traffic
- Implement the HTTPS certificate and ensure all other certificates are up-to-date
- Your sitemap shouldn’t contain any HTTP URLs – only HTTPS links
- Monitor web page loading times
- Eliminate any 404 error pages
- Remove or fix buttons/CTAs that don’t work
- Pay close attention to duplicate or badly optimized content
All of these elements and more can be tracked with the use of Google Analytics. However, there are countless other tools and plugins available to you while creating your website.
If you have a website but are unsure about its overall functionality and performance in terms of the above-mentioned indicators and others, we can help. Contact Digital Dot today and schedule a web development consultation tailored specifically to your website!
#5: Launching a website with no Calls to Action (CTAs)
Having a website with no CTAs is the same as making a sales pitch and then leading potential clients into a dead-end street. Instead, your website has to offer the endgame to anyone that visits it. Otherwise, you run the risk of it becoming a waste of resources for your business.
- If you are fishing for “Soft Leads” that you want to educate about your business, then you need an email newsletter, free online course, a PDF guide, etc.
- However, if you’re hunting for “Hard Leads” that are ready to convert right away, you need something more direct. Your website needs to perfectly explain what it is that you’re selling and then close the deal with a “Buy Now”, “Get Estimate”, “Sign Up Today”, or similar CTA.
The calls to action need to be visible and functional. That way, the moment someone is tempted to make a purchase or schedule a consultation, your website ensures that they can. Remember – having the best-designed website in the world will be pointless if you don’t offer people the chance to engage you with ease.
#6: Neglecting mobile device users when building your website
Consumers today are always on the move and are looking for efficient ways to skim through websites. For business owners looking to grow their business online, this fact is essential. More than 40 percent of people are likely to leave a website the moment they realize it isn’t mobile-friendly. So, to avoid this mistake from coming to pass, you need to optimize your website for mobile devices.
Studies have shown that a staggering 62 percent of companies that adopted this way of thinking improved their sales through a mobile-friendly and responsive website.
#7: Setting up a website without SEO in mind
A well-designed and functional website will do you little good if no one is able to find it online. Therefore, you need to gather points from search engines by going through all the necessary Search Engine Optimization (SEO) parameters when building your website. Invest the time to explore on-page and off-page optimization elements. Everything should be up-to-date and in correspondence with search engine terms.
#8: Having a confusing navigational layout
Whether people are coming to your website in search of answers, additional information about your brand, or with their mind set up to become a client – they need to be able to navigate through it. One of the mistakes businesses make when building their website is overcomplicating their web pages. Users end up leaving the website because they waste too much time and energy in their attempt to find what they came for. The best way to avoid this is to provide users with a:
- Clear menu in the header and footer of your web pages
- Way to go back to the homepage at any time
- Calls to Action on every web page
The conclusion – take your time to plan and set up everything right
These are just several of the most common mistakes website owners make when building their websites. Perhaps you’ve recognized your website in some of them. You definitely recognized them on other websites you visited. Our point here is not to criticize but to help prevent such errors from happening.
Save time and energy by getting professional help
Our team has experience with all these obstacles and countless others that can happen when creating a website. There’s no need to slow down the progress of your business online or lose potential income from online users. Instead, make the smart call and plan out your website in detail before launching it. Better yet, hire a team of exceptional web developers in New York to make it happen for you!
Digital Dot can offer you with all the expertise, manpower, and resources you need to build a website that is secure, functional, appealing, user-friendly, and beneficial for the growth of your company. Give us a call now or schedule a consultation with our team to get additional information.