There are a lot of details to focus on when creating a new website for your business. Since your website often serves as the first point of contact for potential customers, it’s important to get these details right to create strong impressions. In this blog post, we outline several common mistakes we see when auditing websites for potential improvements.
Ignoring Mobile
It’s easy to get wrapped up in ensuring your website looks just right on your desktop, but don’t forget to give the mobile version some much needed attention as well. Over half of all online searches take place on mobile devices, meaning you are sure to have many first-time visitors discover your brand on their mobile devices. Make sure you have a seamless, mobile optimized website waiting for them! A poor mobile design is frustrating to navigate and could potentially lead to bounces.
Not Making it Easy to Reach You
One of the primary reasons your site will receive traffic is for contact purposes. If a customer discovers your business is reputable and wants to learn more about your services, your site design should make it very easy to get in contact.
We recommend including a Contact page that includes both a contact form and basic contact information like your address, phone number, and email address. Offering this information makes your business seem much more established and accessible than simply launching a contact form with no other means of communication provided.
Not Keeping Key Information Up to Date
First impressions are everything, and you can’t make strong impressions when your site is displaying content that is out of date. Be sure to keep up with your site after launch to ensure you are only displaying timely and relevant content. A few things to pay special attention to are your hours of operation, events page, and contact information.
Not Emphasizing SEO Throughout the Design Process
You are most likely aware that a clean, well designed user interface is critical when building a website in 2021. We’d argue that search engine optimization is just as important. We all want to drive organic traffic to our site, and the best way to do so is by sticking to SEO best practices throughout the design process. Here are a few of the main factors that play roles in determining your search engine ranking:
- Secure and accessible site
- Fast loading for desktop and mobile version
- Link building
- Targeted keywords
- Optimized content
No Call to Action
What is the purpose of your website? To sell products? To prompt contact from your customers? To draw attention to your blog posts? There are a variety of reasons you may want to direct your audience to your site, and there’s no reason to hide it! Make sure your site includes clear calls-to-action in an effort to lead visitors through it strategically.
No Favicon
A great web design gets the little things right, including the littlest thing of all! The favicon is a small 16×16 pixel PNG file that appears in the browser tab each time you visit a site. Sites without a specifically chosen favicon simply display a generic icon. Including a favicon that represents your brand is a nice finishing touch to establish the legitimacy of your brand and your new website.
Not Supplementing a Quality Site Build with Quality Content
Once you are satisfied with the shell of your website, you’ll want to commit to routinely supplementing it with new content. Creating quality, genuinely helpful content that gets clicks will boost the popularity of your site and help your SEO score climb as a direct result. If you do decide to start creating content, be sure to stick with it for the long haul! The last thing potential customers want to see is a blog page that hasn’t been updated for several months, or even years.
Minimal Usage of Diverse Text Features
As you develop a website, it’s worth keeping in mind that the chance of a customer visiting your site and reading it word for word are extremely low. They most likely have a reason for their visit, and it’s our job to fulfill their needs as quickly as possible. As such, it’s important to avoid publishing a wall of text for them to sort through. Make your site easier on the eyes by breaking up content with keyword rich headers, bullet points, and images.
Too Few, or Too Many Pages
Your site should ideally strike the perfect balance between having too many and too few pages. A site with countless pages can become confusing and difficult to navigate, whereas a minimal site can leave out critical information. When auditing the skeleton of your site in 2021, make sure it includes these expected webpages at a minimum:
- Home
- Services
- About
- Blog
- Shop (if relevant to your business)
- Contact
Avoid Site Building Mistakes by Trusting the Experts at Gauge Digital Media
Working with a professional digital marketing company is the best way to make the most of your website and make sure that you are checking all of the boxes that search engines look for when ranking websites. We know how to create great content that attracts your target audience and makes your business look great online, all backed by our streamlined web design process. To learn more about the best digital marketing strategies for your company and reach a bigger audience than ever before, work with Gauge Digital Media. For a quote or to schedule a call, contact us at (443) 376-7709.
