A website for your business is no longer a luxury — it’s a necessity. But, just because you invested in a website doesn’t mean that it’s effective in connecting with your customers and ultimately improving your sales. While there could be numerous reasons why your website isn’t effective, here are 10 of the most common explanations for website fails.
1. It’s not mobile friendly
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to most of us, but for the first time ever mobile and tablet usage surpassed desktop usage. As the mobile revolution continues to grow around the world, this trend toward “on the go digital,” will continue. In other words, internet consumption is moving away desktops and in to the portable devices territory. This means that your business’s website has to be optimized for mobile users.
Unfortunately, there are still lots of websites that aren’t mobile-friendly. This is just bad for business since it can lead to penalties from the Big G (Google), decrease conversation rates and deliver your customers a poor experience.
To make sure that your site is ready for mobile users, make sure that you use a responsive design, have large buttons and due your due-diligence on a/b testing, keep your layout simple and again, test it using tools like Google’s Search Console Mobile Friendly Test.
2. Contains too much jargon
I understand that you’re an expert in your field and that you want to demonstrate your knowledge and authority. But unless you’re talking to directly to your fellow industry experts, your average customer isn’t going to understand the technical language or industry jargon that you use to describe your business throughout your website.
Avoid the jargon and use simple and straight-forward language that your customers can easily understand.
3. Lacks content
Your customers have a problem. And they’re turning to your website to help them solve said-problem. That’s why your website needs to contain fresh and valuable content that answers real-life questions.
Remember, that doesn’t mean that they’re searching for your exact business. For example, our blog contains useful information for freelancers and small business owners. If a person is searching for advice on invoicing and processing payments, they could also land on our site because that’s the type of content we’ve been producing, as well.
In short, start a blog and keep writing awesome content. This will also help boost your SEO and content marketing efforts.
4. Hides essential information
Besides looking for information that will make their lives better, if customers are looking for your specific business, they want to easily locate information like:
The address of your business. If you have a brick and mortar business, include a map link.
Contact information, specifically a phone number and email address.
Social media plugins.
Hours, pricing and an “about us” page.
You’d be surprised at how many businesses still don’t have this information on their websites. And, if you’re like me, you may tend to stay from those types of businesses over security or legitimate concerns.
And, there’s really no excuse for forgetting this information. These additions are easy-to-integrate onto your site and usually free as well.
5. Loads too slowly
Customers expect a website to load quickly. In fact, 47 percent of consumers expect a website to load in just 2 seconds or less. And, that’s important to remember because an astounding 79 percent of shoppers who don’t enjoy their website experience less likely to ever return to that site again, nor buy from that site again.
You can test the speed of your site using tools like Pingdom and GTmetrix. These tools provide insights and advice on how to speed your site-up too.
6. Doesn’t have clear calls-to-action
You don’t want to leave your visitors in the dark by making them guess what you want them to do next on your site. So, give them clear instructions by creating a call to action button or hyperlinked text that is front and center.
HubSpot has 31 call-to-action examples that you should review if you need some inspiration. For instance, Dropbox has a blue “Sign up for free,” call-to-action button that stands out from the rest of the page.
Remember, without these buttons, your potential customers won’t move forward with the services or resources that you’re offering. When that happens, you won’t get those all-important business conversions.
7. It’s outdated
Webpages that are maintained and have a current design build trust and credibility. That doesn’t mean that you need to update your site every month. But, if it’s been years since you’ve had a major website design overhaul, then it’s time to find something more contemporary. The last thing that you want is to have a site that looks like a Geocities page from the late 90s.
8. It’s annoying and cluttered
Believe it or not, that are still businesses that insist on having websites that have music or videos play automatically once your enter the site. Even worse, these sites are also full of banner ads, bright colors and flashy text. These sites are just plain annoying and end-up slowing the page down because it’s so cluttered.
So, how many people are going to ever click on that site again at work — or anywhere else?
Keep in mind that a bulk of your visitors are browsing your site on mobile devices too. This means that you’re site should be clean and organized. Keep information to a minimum and use sub-headings, bullet lists and graphic elements so that visitors can digest this info in smaller chunks.
9. Shopping cart or payment platform is broken
Unless you’re relying on a third party payment gateway or shopping cart, then it’s your responsibility to frequently check to make sure that everything is working properly. You won’t be able to make a sale or receive a payment if your cart or payment processor is busted.
10. You don’t guide users to different pages
A lot of businesses send all their traffic to their website’s homepage, as opposed to relevant links that their customers actually want to land-on. This could be because service pages and other pages of the site are just an afterthought when designing a website. But, the fact of the matter is that the home page isn’t as important to general web traffic and the overall design.
Instead, start creating specific landing pages for the various types of potential customers you encounter and where they are in the sales funnel.
There’s no doubt about it – we are living in the digital age, and we aren’t going back. Truth be told, you’re living decades in the past if your business doesn’t have a solid online presence, particularly if you’re a retail-based brand.
However, you likely do, and probably utilize those tried-and-true website design techniques — it should be responsive and optimized for mobile. It should be modern, have some negative space and organized intuitively. There’s some less-obvious care and consideration that goes into a website design, though, that could help you boost your online sales.
I looked at the three largest ecommerce retailers by sales according to eMarketer — Walmart, Apple and Amazon — to determine what it is they do that boosts their businesses into a league of their own, and what you can learn from them.
Walmart.com: The best mobile-optimized ecommerce website
The supermarket behemoth that was once known for Midwestern storefronts and smiley-faced rollbacks has transitioned quite comfortably into an ecommerce destination for all. Beginning in 2014, Walmart.com started updating its website to boost its online presence, likely in a successful challenge to Amazon (more on that later).
Much like its softer, more modern logo redesign, Walmart.com’s new website is accented by a milder blue hue and plenty of negative space that allows each product to shine. However, the most important feature of Walmart’s ecommerce destination is its consistency on all platforms. Whether you’re shopping from your smartphone’s browser, your tablet of choice or a desktop computer, everything from search to checkout is easy, intuitive and dependable on every platform.
So, how do these small changes spell big payoff for Walmart’s bottom line? Well, first of all, that stellar mobile user experience reaps some positive reinforcement from Google, which has factored mobile friendliness into its rankings since 2015. Plus, the smartphone ecommerce features a prominent search bar and cart, and intuitive clicking throughout the screen, which makes shopping for steals even more of a breeze.
Walmart’s overall muscle behind its online shopping destination is paying off, too. In fact, Walmart recently copped to hosting higher prices online than it does in stores, proving that consumers really will pay a higher price for a greater convenience. And it’s working, too. Last year, the retailer’s online sales increased by 9 percent, resulting in a staggering $14.4 billion in sales. The bottom line? Ultimately, investing in mobile design will prove to be a big payoff.
What you can learn: A mobile-optimized website isn’t good enough. Instead, you should ensure your mobile destinations have the exact same experience as your desktop versions.
Apple.com: The best brand-oriented ecommerce website
If Apple is known for anything, it’s exceptional design and attention to detail. Lucky for us consumers, this care is extended to more than just iPhones and Apple Watches.
Apple’s streamlined design and sleek aesthetic is showcased throughout its minimalistic website, driving home its overarching brand ideals and solidifying consumer loyalty — something proven to drive bottom lines.
Need further proof that Apple invests in every detail of a user’s experience? Take a look at its human interface guidelines. While that may deal with designing its products, it ultimately reflects the qualities portrayed in Apple’s online store. After all, you can’t sell a product online without a digital destination, so you might as well make sure they match.
Apple’s interface designs place high emphasis on a consistent look and feel brand-wide, clean grids and placing users in control of their overall experience — all of which is demonstrated in its website. The products are displayed in grids, and interactive demo videos and infographics throughout the website allow the users to compare, contrast and — yes, you guessed it — control the entire shopping experience.
And Apple’s brand consistency, from products to an ecommerce website, pays off in a big way. Brand allegiance and a smooth experience lower bounce rates, which ultimately boost sales.
What you can learn: Put that brand book to use, and employ the same design guidelines in your website as you do each product to drive home a strong user experience and increase brand loyalty.
Amazon.com: The best product-driven ecommerce website
Truth be told, Amazon doesn’t have the best website design on the internet.
Hear me out, though.
The homepage is cluttered, product pages are laden with ads and — combined with the grocery and video options — the overall website can be a bit distracting for consumers who visit the website with a particular purchase in mind. However, Amazon provides great deals, exceptional checkout and delivery, and places nearly every product you could ever need at your fingertips, rendering it almost irreplaceable.
According to Shopify, this clear purpose is paramount to successful ecommerce sites. Amazon’s in-depth reviews, complete product descriptions, and extensive confirmation emails show us that, ultimately, people want an online store that will get them what they need, stat. Amazon.com fulfills that need tenfold, as demonstrated by its third quarter sales, which jumped up 34 percent to $43.7 billion.
What you can learn: At the end of the day, if you sell high-value products, the customers will come.
In ecommerce website design, it’s important to remember that people are looking to acquire a product as easily as possible; at the end of the day, every design decision should capitalize on that end goal. Whether that’s through a simple smartphone purchase, consistent branding, products that are the best bang for their buck or something totally different, find the qualities your demographic values most and execute them on your website. Combined with a simple design and easy UX, your online store’s profits are sure to amaze.
Most CEOs have serious misconceptions about web development. This is a problem because businesses are more reliant than ever on their online presence.
CEOs in companies of all sizes struggle with this. Here are six myths that most CEOs struggle with:
1. Website development is easy.
Clients commonly request a “simple” 20-page website with a log-in setup, online payment, a blog and other widgets.
Websites such as Facebook and Craigslist may appear simple, but the necessary development work is time-consuming and complicated. The strange thing is that the simpler the design, often the more expensive the siteis. Some requests that seem small could involve complicated development work and require days of programming.
2. Everyone should be involved.
Rather than packing all the staff into a conference room to rattle off ideas involve only the people who’ll be doing the work.
Compile your content strategy, brand assets, business objectives and user flows. Don’t spend time mulling deep technical planning, database architecture, layouts, designs or widgets.
3. Websites are a commodity.
With the advent of templates, and offshore development, many business people harbor the misperception that web design is a cheap commodity.
Taking advantage of already created templates might work for some companies, but for those serious about their brand and online presence, such alternatives won’t suffice long-term.
Consider your website an investment and dedicate appropriate resources toward it. Find a team of designers who understands your business, ask the right questions and have happy customers. A good team will help you manage your goals along with your budget and find optimal solutions. It may seem expensive, but the return on investment will be worth it.
4. Once a site is built, it’s done.
Web development isn’t a once-and-done activity. Once your site is launched, it will need to be maintained. Many midmarket companies have round-the-clock teams monitoring their sites to ensure they remain without glitches.
Even if your website doesn’t handle a high volume of traffic, you still need someone keeping an eye on functionality. You’ll also need security updates and fresh content for SEO purposes.
5. Anyone can create a great user experience.
You can’t build the website yourself. Focus on leading your business and improving your products. Your intern, cousin or IT guy can’t build it either. A lot more that goes into a site than basic knowledge of web design, especially when building payment systems and ensuring integration with the company’s internal systems.
There are free website-building tools that can be great for bootstrapped startup or running a small business site. But they aren’t robust enough for the needs of most established businesses.
For your website, you may need a team to design mostly from scratch, which requires a specific skill set. Let the web design firm hired do what it does best, but make sure its staffers are asking the right questions about the target audiences before they start.
6. It’s your website, so you dictate the design.
It’s natural to want to micromanage your company’s website. Unfortunately, unless you’re a web designer, this isn’t the job for you. You need to trust your web designer if you want site visitors to become paying customers.
Web designers will understand your vision, but you need to let them design. They’re knowledgeable about structure and what helps visitors convert into customers.
Your website serves as the digital storefront for your business. If it doesn’t look appealing, load quickly or even have a mobile version, customers are going to keep walking. Many small business owners rely on their website to bring in a steady stream of leads and educate potential customers on what they offer.
However, when it comes to designing and developing a website, most of those same small business owners think they can’t have all the bells and whistles that larger businesses have. But that’s not true. Why? Meet WordPress.
WordPress is a free platform that powers the back end of your website. It’s commonly referred to as a “content management system” because of its ability to let you easily create and organize all of the pages and media you upload to your site.
1. You’ll be able to start using your website as a blog.
If you’re using a separate website to host your blog or, worse, have no blog at all (at least yet), switching your site over to WordPress will quickly solve that problem. Not only is the software incredibly easy to operate (adding new pages/posts literally takes seconds), but it’s the perfect platform for blogging about your small business.
Simply set up a page on your site dedicated to your blog (just call it “blog” or some catchy name that plays off your brand). Then you can start adding posts to that page. A blog is your easiest and most effective way to continuously add new content to your site and keep customers up-to-date with your business.
2. WordPress constantly updates itself for safety and security.
Instant updates mean you can be confident your website’s security is always up to date and aligned with the best, most current policies. While some other content management systems might require you to manually check for updates or may be slack on performing maintenance, WordPress does the work for you.
You can sleep soundly knowing that your site will automatically update, and knowing, too, that WordPress will keep working to better its system and make things more secure for users and visitors.
3. WordPress is open source.
“Open source” simply means that developers are able to contribute to WordPress’ software in the form of plugins, themes and updates. How does that benefit you? The system is constantly improving and getting better, and a new addition doesn’t cost you a cent. You can reap all the benefits of these improvements without paying for them.
4. WordPress is SEO friendly.
SEO, or search engine optimization, refers to the idea of making your website more searchable by engines like Google and Yahoo. While mastering SEO can take some investment of time WordPress offers ways for business owners to optimize their site in the easiest ways possible. Check out the free Yoast SEO plugin, which shows you step-by-step how your content ranks and where there’s room to improve.
5. WordPress is no newbie.
This CMS is swimming in familiar water. It’s been around for more than ten years so it’s safe to say it’s a sure thing. While WordPress (like any CMS) isn’t perfect, it’s pretty much problem-free. Over the years, its engineers have had time to work out those little kinks and improve, aging the system into a timeless CMS that all levels of web developers have come to love.
6. Coding for WordPress is standard for any web developer.
A lot of small business owners hire a web developer who then builds a complicated website that no one else can manage. That’s all well and good if you never need to change your website again — but that’s rare.
One of the reasons WordPress is so great is that it’s become such a popular choice any web developer knows how to code for it. Whenever a problem pops up that you can’t fix, or you decide to redesign your website’s look, any developer will be able to get the job done.
7. Having a WordPress website puts you in good company.
Yes, WordPress is “every guy’s CMS.” That being said, its capabilities extend far beyond the basic ones; and some of the biggest companies in the world use WordPress to power their sites. How big is “big”? The New York Times, Mashable, TechCrunch, and Inc. (to name a few).
WordPress is great for small businesses because it has everything you need to create a visually pleasing, fully functional, scalable website, and it also offers endless possibilities if your business or budget grows down the road.
Wrapping Up
Whether you’re just starting out as an entrepreneur or your small business is growing like a weed, you want a website that grows as you do. WordPress gives you that option.
