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Top 10 Website Mistakes You Should Fix NOW
The Sprocket Report
Considering a new website? Or cleaning up an older one? We’ve listed the top 10 mistakes people are STILL making on their websites. Take a look at the list and see if you’re making the same mistakes.
Mistake #1: Copyright is out-of-date
If your copyright isn’t this year, people wonder whether you’ve gone out of business or if your company is simply sloppy. You don’t want to leave either impression and this is such a simple fix. Newer platforms update this automatically so it’s also a sign your site is pretty stale.
Mistake #2: Site isn’t mobile
Seriously? It’s long past time to fix this, but we’re still seeing teeny little websites on smart phones. You’re losing potential customers, so get a quote already.
Mistake #3: Using graphics instead of text
It may look like your business name and phone number is right at the top of your Home Page, but you aren’t being found in search engines and the phone isn’t ringing because your designer used a PICTURE of your text instead of actual text. Google robots can’t index the words and customers can’t tap the number to call you.
Mistake #4: Linking to Facebook Share instead of Like
Congratulations if you have social media buttons on your site – but check where the links go. On your blog page, you want readers to click on the Facebook icon to link to their own page so they can Share your post. But elsewhere on your site, it’s preferable that they click on the icon that links to YOUR Facebook page so they can Like you.
Mistake #5: No call-to-action
Once a potential client gets to your website page, what do you want them to do? Make it clear what the next step is and why they should take it. Otherwise, they just close the window and go watch videos of cats.
Mistake #6: Too many calls-to-action
Subscribe! Watch the video! Download the whitepaper! Studies say that too many choices frighten folks off from making any choice at all. The CTA (call-to-action) should be more like a funnel: Like what you see? Here’s the next step. Don’t like what you see? Try this instead.
Mistake #7: News without separate URLs
When you have news or events that you want to go viral, you have to make it easy to share. When folks share a link, it should ONLY have the one news item or event you want shared. It’s confusing to say “Here’s a link to Harvest Fest” and then make readers scroll through two months’ worth of other events on the page to get to Harvest Fest. (Hint: They won’t.)
Mistake #8: Automatic sound turned on
It will come as no surprise that lots of people look at websites during work hours or other places where it might be inappropriate. If you have video that opens automatically or your site has background music, make sure silence is the default. You’ll notice that many videos today have subtitles so they can be watched silently.
Mistake #9: Listing features, not benefits
People come to your website to find a solution to THEIR problem so you should write your content to reflect that. Show how you can make THEIR life better, not how awesome YOUR company is.
Mistake #10: Lack of basic SEO
Really big companies devote whole teams to Search Engine Optimization, but everyone needs to apply at least some basic SEO. What terms are people using to find what you’re offering? Get those terms into your pages’ Title Tags and Description Tags. Also use those terms in your page content (and make sure that content is real text, not a graphic image). Be the result people are searching for.
We’re always amazed to see how many impressive-looking sites are hobbled by these easily-remedied mistakes. If you’re looking to fix a few things on your business website, give us a call. We’d be happy to help you.
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Kate 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.
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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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