Having a website for your business is essential to creating your brand and acquiring new clients. However, if your company’s website is not optimized it could actually be pushing your current and future customers away. In this article we will discuss the top 6 ways that your website might be damaging your business.
Bragging And Being Overly Vague
Yes, you need to let visitors to your site know who you are and what you do. However, only talking about your business’ achievements and innovative ideas will soon make potential clients run away. The fact is that your customers really don’t care about you. They want to know what you can do for them and how you can solve their problems. If your website doesn’t do that, they will quickly find your competitor who can actually tell them how their products and services can resolve their pain points. Make at least 80% of the content on your site customer-focused. Explain how your company’s products and services can resolve their challenges and make their lives easier. Be sincere and factual. Show them that you really care about them and want to help then show them how to get started. That is how you get people to trust you. No one likes someone who brags all the time.
Also, don’t be overly vague. There have been some business websites that we have seen that after spending copious amounts of time on them, we still weren’t sure what they were selling. If someone can’t figure out what your company is about within a few moments of landing on your homepage, you’ve got a VERY BIG problem. Be clear in your messaging and don’t try to be overly pretentious in the phrases or words you use. Be real. Be down to earth. Be honest. Be crystal clear about the solutions your company is trying to present to them. Don’t make it hard for potential customers to become raving fans.
Not Showing Your Qualifications
There is a huge difference between bragging and showing that you are qualified to help. There are qualifications that potential clients look for when deciding whether to do business with a company and you need to make sure you make those things easy to find on your website. Some of the types of qualifications you want to have handy on your website are customer testimonials, Better Business Bureau and other trusted accreditations, statistics regarding customer successes with your products, and other information that that shows your products and services really do work. Case studies, portfolios of successful projects, and any other insights that can show how your company’s products and services get your clients results are tremendously important as well.
Don’t B.S. anyone. Don’t make stuff up. Give hard, truthful, easily verifiable facts! These are the things that people are looking for that will convert them from potential to actual customers! This type of information builds trust and credibility in your company and that’s stuff you should never fake.
Making It Hard To Contact You
So many websites neglect to make it easy for potential clients to contact the business. Frequently, in order to find an address or phone number on a website, the visitor needs to dig page by page like an treasure hunt to find this vital information. Most people will give up if it’s too difficult to come across and will move on to the next website.
Don’t frustrate your website visitors. Make it easy to find you. Have the contact information on every single page of your website even if it’s just in the footer and make the place that they can find it consistent throughout the site. In addition to having that information consistently in one spot, you should also have the business phone number in a prominent spot throughout as well. Common places for the phone number are generally in the sidebar or header of the site.
Then also have a ‘Contact Us’ page with your business phone number, address, and a contact form. Make the contact form simple to fill out with only the most pertinent information required such as name, phone number, email address, and perhaps their website address (if applicable). It’s also important that once someone presses the send button on the contact form that they get a confirmation email or message to assure them that their email went through. Including a privacy statement on the ‘Contact Us’ page is also a good idea to reassure potential clients that their information will be handled properly and not sold or given away.
Misspellings And Bad Grammar
There is absolutely no excuse for bad grammar, poor spelling, incomplete/incoherent sentences, or other types of mistakes on a business website. Not paying attention to important details like this reflects poorly on your company’s reputation. It sends the message that you and your staff do not pay attention to details. It also says that your business is fine doing less than a outstanding job. Those are not the type of messages that you want to be sending to your customers.
In this day and age, with all the technology available to us all it is amazingly easy to check for all these things before publishing or updating your business’ website. It is also always a great idea to have several other people look over the website and any changes being made to make sure errors are caught before going public. Now we know that we’re all human and from time to time there might be errors made but if everyone in the company keeps a lookout for things that need to be corrected it will go a long way with your customers and ultimately with promoting your brand.
Making It Hard To Find Anything
Oh, nothing makes someone leave a website quicker than not being able to find anything! Again, there is no excuse for bad navigation on a website. The acronym K.I.S.S. is absolutely needed here – Keep It Simple Stupid! Make it easy for anyone to find anything on your site. Have simple navigation to make it a fantastic user experience for visitors. The main reason for a website is to sell your products or services but if the navigation on your site is a cause for frustration and pain it will do just the opposite.
Also, make key information such as business name, address, phone number, and directions visible in a key area on all pages. It may be logical to you that that information is only on the contact us page (and it is to some extent) however if website visitors can’t find it right away they are going to give up and find your competitor. Don’t make things difficult for your customers. Make it easy for them to say ‘Yes’ to everything you are selling.
Your Site Is Not Mobile Friendly
If you don’t have a mobile-friendly website we suggest you get one ASAP or your business will be left behind. 2018 stats show that 63% of website visits come from mobile devices and that stat is growing by the minute. In addition to that stat, consumers spend more than 5 hours a day on their smartphones, 52.2% of all worldwide online traffic is from mobile phones (Statista, 2018), and 57% of all U.S. online traffic is from smartphones and other mobile devices such as tablets.
If that doesn’t convince you to upgrade your website to a mobile friendly one how about these stats. 51% of customers say they use their mobile devices to discover new brands and products, 69% of smartphone users say they are more likely to buy from companies that have mobile sites that answer their questions easily, and – HOLD YOUR SEAT – worldwide more people own a cellphone than a toothbrush (Consumer Technology Association, 2015)!!
That’s a lot of people to turn away from your website because your business is not staying current. Can you afford that? Most businesses cannot. Not having a mobile friendly website not only makes your business inaccessible or hard to reach at best but it also sends the message that your company doesn’t keep up on the latest technologies and solutions. That is absolutely not what your customers are looking for. Don’t turn your backs on them.
As you can see, there’s a lot depending on your website. Take action now to make it the best it can be so that your company can be the one that is leading the pack when it comes to great products, services, and customer satisfaction.
NetSource Technologies is an award-winning web design, hosting, e-commerce and consulting company that has been serving Ocala, FL and clients nationwide since 1995. Our design team specializes in creating custom websites for clients in every industry, from race cars, to RVs, to clothing stores. Other services include SEO optimization, content development, branding, and social media marketing. Visit www.netsourceinc.com for more information on our services. Does your business need help with its branding? Contact Us Here!