Top 7 Website Mistakes to Watch Out For
I’ve been helping clients with internet marketing and WordPress website design for over 18 years. As you can imagine, in that time I have seen a variety of all types of websites. Great, good, ok, bad, horrible…I feel like I’ve seen it all. There are a lot of website mistakes that I see on a regular basis. Obviously these mistakes are not on purpose; it’s just something my clients might not have thought about. In this blog I’ve narrowed it down to the top 7 website mistakes I see over and over again.
Top 7 Website Mistakes:
#1: You do not have an SSL installed
The layman’s way of explaining SSL is your website URL begins with https:// vs http:// – For users using Google chrome your site will be listed as insecure if you do not have an SSL installed. Google has also hinted strongly that not having https:// will affect your SEO. While they do not publicly announce how this actually affects your SEO it is definitely something to take into consideration.
The easy way to set up an SSL is through your hosting company. Most hosting companies include this as part of your hosting package. If you are still looking for hosting, I highly recommend SiteGround.
You also want to be sure you have a redirect set up properly so that your site doesn’t have two versions. Your http:// should redirect to https:// – your hosting company and/or website designer can help you with this step.
#2 – Your site is not mobile responsive
If you read any stats out there you’ll see that most websites receive 70-80% of their traffic from mobile devices. If your website is not mobile responsive / has mobile design issues this should be your #1 priority to fix. Make sure your website is easy to navigate and view on mobile devices.
Use Google’s free tool to see if your site is mobile friendly by their standards: https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly.
Use this free tool to test your site at various screen sizes: http://quirktools.com/screenfly/.
While it’s impossible for it to be 100% perfect in every scenario, I’d shoot for 95%. This is a good thing to come back and check occasionally. If your site was created 4-5 years ago it might need a mobile update…a lot has changed in that time.
#3 – It is not clear what you are doing / selling
I cannot tell you how many times I am reviewing a website and I have to ask the person what it is they do. This needs to be 100% clear in the first second someone is on their site. Don’t make them have to search for what it is your do / sell. When someone first opens your site it should explain exactly what you do / are selling. Double check this right now. Is it clear?
#4 – Your contact information is hard to find
I have had a few clients tell me that they did not need a contact page in their menu, because all their contact information was in the footer. While that might be true, don’t make it hard for someone to find this information. People are accustomed to a contact page…make sure to add one.
If you say “Call us” include your number. It doesn’t matter if you have included your phone number 5 other times on the page, don’t make someone look for it. If you do, they are less likely to call you.
#5 – You are using images that you do not have permission to use
Unfortunately this has happened to a handful of my clients. Google images are not free to use. You cannot just use any image you find online (and this includes images from social media). Images are copyright protected just like copy. I know this sounds pretty straightforward but there are many people who do not realize this.
You want to either use images that you have permission to use or purchase the right to use (stock photos). This was a costly mistake for one of my clients. If you are not sure about images on your site, I’d change them out to images you are sure about to protect yourself from copyright infringement lawsuits.
#6 – You do not have a clear call to action
Imagine that your ideal client has read through your copy. They are interested and it sounds great …but they are left wondering what the next step is. Don’t make them guess what the best way to get started is. Have clear call to actions throughout your site. Do you want them to call you? Fill out a form? Download something? Schedule in your calendar? Let them know exactly what you want them to do next.
#7 – Your site is not professional
Step into your ideal client’s shoes again. Take a look at your site. Is it professional? Would you be impressed enough to take action? Most of your visitors will judge your services / products based on the “cover” of your website. If your website does not reflect a level of professionalism you are most likely losing out on a lot of clients. Your website is the most important part of your marketing…make sure it looks like you are taking it seriously!
If you need help with any of these 7 website mistakes, be sure to request a free consultation here!
Rachel Muraca
Virtual Design, LLC
WordPress Web Design
Read Our Testimonials
Find Us on Facebook
*Disclaimer: For some links in this blog, we receive a referral fee for referring you to these products/services. However we only post resources that we have extensive personal experience with and trust to be valuable to you!
