Don't Shoot Yourself in the Foot by Rushing Your Website

The Sprocket Report

This year more than ever, small business owners need to be circus performers – spinning plates like mad in the hopes that if everything keeps moving, it won't all come crashing down. Before you hurriedly check “website” off your To-Do list, take enough time to make sure your site is ready to do what you expect it to do. 

Poor choices in web design, functionality and branding can hurt your response, your reputation and your bottom line. Here are a few of the most common mistakes folks make when they aren't thinking clearly:

• Forgetting to include a "Call To Action" or "Buy Now" button
• Failing to use the same terms in the page content that customers use when searching
• Neglecting broken links on the pages or breaking the links from referring sources 
• Choosing difficult-to-use shopping carts without testing
• Featuring outdated content and not having a system for updating it
• Providing content that is does not interest the right audience
• Not supporting the website with other marketing
• Not bothering to add analytics or look at them if they are added

Are you attracting customers to your website? Are those customers turning away once they get to your site? You could be losing sales or leads and not even know. 

Check your website's analytics to get a feel for how people are currently using your site. The Referrers list will tell you which marketing efforts are sending folks to your website. The Bounce Rate will tell you if they are leaving because your site isn’t fulfilling the marketing promise. And other stats can tell you what people are looking at, how long they are hanging around and at what point you are losing them. Those measurements now become your fix-it checklist.

Stress forces us to think on our feet and being agile is important to survival in the current business climate, but we could be hurting our businesses by being too busy to look at what our website – the 24/7 company representative – is actually saying to our customers. Being your website partner is why we are in business. Contact us today to discuss what we can do together.

This article is an update to “Got Your Web Priorities Straight?” dated 7/9/2012. 

Kate GingoldKate Gingold

I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.

Other posts by Kate Gingold

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Full biography

I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.

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