Websites are important for any business, no matter how large or small.
They provide you with a way to showcase your services and products, let you connect with existing customers, and help potential customers find you.
Many websites play a key role in marketing strategies. And no matter if you’re doing your own marketing or if you’re outsourcing, you want to make sure that you’re following best practices on your website.
Not following best practices could cause your website to rank low on search engines, which results in fewer people successfully locating your website.
And if they do locate your website and it isn’t done professionally, they might end up clicking away.
Check to see if your website team is making any of these mistakes.
Ignoring SEO
If your website isn’t optimized for SEO, you’re missing out on organic traffic.
With the right amount of time and effort, you can increase the visibility of your website and allow more people to discover your business.
Figure out what keywords you need to use throughout your site.
After that, consider blogging to link build and establish authority.
You’ll also want to pay attention to analytics so you can adjust your strategy as needed.
Repeating content
Some people get into the habit of providing the exact same information on multiple pages.
This can be frustrating to visitors—if they’re skimming quickly for information, they don’t want to have to skim the same piece of information multiple times.
Not to mention, it can make updating your website challenging.
If you need to make a change to repetitive content, you have to remember to update every page where that content is.
A better alternative is linking to relevant pages instead of duplicating content.
Forgetting sales pages
A good sales page turns visitors into customers. All too often, visitors click on a website but do not make a purchase because they get distracted.
However, if they land on a sales page, they receive a quick description of a product and a call-to-action.
Creating a successful sales page can be challenging, especially if you don’t have experience.
If you want to learn more about creating successful sales pages, have a look at Convertri.
Practicing poor branding
When it comes to branding your website, you’re going to want each page to have the same tone and look visually similar.
If your website has a huge visual shift between pages or if you’re switching your writing style, people will question your authenticity.
Also, whatever branding you use on your website should match your social media.
For example, if you get a new logo, upload it to both your website and your social media platforms.
Not optimizing for mobile users
More people browse the internet using their phones or tablets than they do a computer.
If you want to reach as large of a demographic as possible, you’re going to want a responsive website.
A responsive website can detect what device a visitor is using and adjust the design of the site so that it is user-friendly.
This allows mobile users to easily access all links and view all elements of your website.
Practicing poor branding
When it comes to branding your website, you’re going to want each page to have the same tone and look visually similar.
If your website has a huge visual shift between pages or if you’re switching your writing style, people will question your authenticity.
Also, whatever branding you use on your website should match your social media.
For example, if you get a new logo, upload it to both your website and your social media platforms.
Not including reviews
Many business owners overlook the power of including reviews on their website.
A review from a happy customer who has enjoyed your products or services can help establish the trust of potential customers.
Make sure customers are satisfied with your business before asking for a review.
The best customers to ask for reviews from are the ones who repeatedly come back or the ones that refer other customers to you.
Also, always ask their permission before featuring their review on your website.
Overusing stock imagery
Incorporating images and videos onto your website is a great practice.
What isn’t a great practice is only using stock imagery.
Stock imagery is readily available to everyone, which means that multiple websites are using the exact same image.
Using original photography or videos allow your website to stand out from the crowd.
Take photos of your products or of members on your team.
Professional images work best, but you can also get a decent picture using a smartphone.
Original imagery can also help you create a more authentic brand.
Wrapping up
When it comes to your website, always make sure you’re utilizing best practices and that your techniques are up-to-date.
If you’re not sure where to start with your website, consider getting a professional to conduct a website analysis.
They’ll help you figure out where your strengths are and what your next steps should be.