Your website is the foundation of your business, so maintaining it is crucial to finding success. With online traffic at an all-time high, many people use websites as a first impression of companies which is why your website should reflect your mission and values. Because it’s become so easy to find the information we’re searching for nowadays, the attention span of consumers has decreased greatly. There are many elements that turn customers away from a website or make them feel like it’s unreliable, so you should always be on the lookout. Keep reading to learn about common red flags you should avoid to have the best website design for your business.
1. Missing an About Page
If you’re designing a website for your brand, it’s vital to include a page that tells your customers more about you. It’s hard to get a feel for a company if they have no information listed on their page. You should include a mission statement, links to other social media, and an address if you have a business location. Excluding these elements from your website could hurt your credibility and cause your audience to lose interest.
2. Inactivity
Being inactive will make people turn away and even question whether or not you’re still in business. Updating your presence online will not only boost your website SEO but will also make you more likely to appear in people’s searches. Having a monthly blog post on your site will keep your website up-to-date and active as well as engage website visitors. Create a posting plan to ensure posts are consistent and at least occur every other month.
3. Broken or Missing Links
The average time that people spend on one web page at a time is less than one minute, which is why broken links can so easily turn people away. If you find a link that’s not working on your website, remove it altogether or create a working one. Consumers are more likely to lose patience with small mistakes like these due to their short attention spans. Make sure your website is reliable and always test your links before publishing them officially and be sure to go back and check every so often.
4. Poor Web Design
The layout and design of your website should appeal to customers and stand out from competitors. You should always avoid low-quality images and graphics when putting together your site because it’s easy to notice and reflects poorly on your brand. Also, try not to incorporate too many or too few elements on each page so it doesn’t seem crowded or, vice versa, empty.
5. Excludes Prices
You’ve probably experienced this issue without realizing how great it impacted your decision. Many shoppers will lose interest if a business doesn’t include prices for their products and services online. No one wants to go the extra mile to find this information, so they may choose to move on to a different website. On top of this, not including these prices may make people assume they’re insanely high, which may not be the case.
6. Grammatical Errors
Correct spelling and punctuation usage are a must in any area of business, especially websites. Having too many grammar issues on your website could confuse people and come off as lazy. Because this is how many people will get their first impression, you want to present yourself in the most professional way possible, so don’t forget to double check all of your grammar!
7. Not Mobile-Friendly
As of this year, more online traffic is through smartphones rather than desktops and computers. If your website can’t fit the screen of most phones, it will make it difficult for consumers to navigate through your site. You need to have a working website that will fit as many devices as possible because it will ultimately benefit your customers and give a user-friendly experience. If the site is not mobile-friendly, a mobile visitor may bounce off your site immediately.
8. No Customer Reviews
Many consumers learn about businesses through recommendations, and it’s always reassuring to see that other people have had good experiences. Without reviews, it could seem as though you’ve had no customers, or even worse, you’ve had no satisfied ones. Encourage your clients to leave reviews, because they can help you improve different aspects of your business.
How We Can Help
At Inner Spark Creative, we want to help you find the best path to success for you and your business. With plenty of experience in a range of industries, our team is qualified to assist you with any of your marketing needs. Advertising continues to develop more each day, and we will ensure that your marketing plan is always current and effective. Contact us to learn more about what services we offer and how our help will bring you success.