A website is the first impression your small business will make to potential customers. Whether you're a sole proprietor or an established business, your website should reflect your unique personality and brand. Making sure that your website looks professional doesn't have to be expensive.
Here are 5 small business website design mistakes to avoid:
1. Not using a professional web design agency
When you're looking to create a website, it's important to find an agency that has the experience and expertise to make your website look great and function well.
There are many reasons to use a professional web design agency such as webdesignauckland.co, but one of the most important reasons is that they can help you create a website that accurately represents your business.
By working with an experienced web design agency, you can avoid common mistakes that can hurt your business’s reputation or even prevent people from finding your website.
Agencies have the knowledge and tools to build a website that will meet your needs and represent your brand in the best possible way.
Also, professional web design agencies use the latest AI technology and trends to create websites that are user-friendly and look great on all devices. They will also provide ongoing support and maintenance so you can be sure your website is always up-to-date.
2. Not using a custom domain name
When you're starting a business website, it's important to choose the right domain name. A custom domain gives your blog an air of professionalism and can help you rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).
There are many factors to consider when choosing a domain name, but these tips should help you get started. With all of the options available, how do you make sure you're making the right choice? Here are a few tips to help get you started.
1. Keep it short and simple. The longer the domain name, the more difficult it will be to remember and type in.
2. Use keywords. When choosing a domain name, use keywords that are associated with your business. This will help potential customers find your website when they search online.
3. Make it easy to spell. One common mistake people make when choosing a domain name is picking one that is difficult to spell.
3. Ignoring the buyer cycle
Most business owners take a short-sighted approach to their website thinking that if someone’s on their website today that’s because they’re ready to take action today. Unfortunately, the stats just don’t back that up.
The truth is 90% of your site visitors today are in research mode. They’re making a mental list of companies they may want to work with when they’re ready to.
And another misconception business owner tends to think - well, if they’re on a website today researching that’s okay. They will remember us when they are ready to make that decision - but again, not necessarily true. Remember they’re going to be looking at 5 to 10 of your competitors as well.
So how do you make sure that you’re the most memorable out of the bunch?
Well, smart businesses understand that the best thing you can do is get those people onto your email list on that first visit.
Email marketing is one of the best ways to generate leads for your business. And you do that with a really irresistible lead magnet that’s going to attract them and entice them to sign up. That way they’re on your email list and you can follow up with them weekly with the right email marketing tools.
Every week you send out a new, helpful email to where you’re nurturing them. You’re keeping your business top of mind for them when they’re ready. So, by shortchanging or ignoring this piece of the puzzle altogether, you’re really leaving a lot of money on the table and a lot of potential profits behind.
4. Overcomplicating a website
The next mistake is saying too much that your clients really just don’t care about. So think about it; when people are coming to your site, they have a problem and one question on their mind, and that question is, “Can you help me solve it?”
So then why do so many websites list out their entire history, when they were founded, employee bios, mission statements, community involvement?
Well, all that stuff is nice and probably important to your business internally. It’s very rarely ever going to lead to closing a new client. The two keys to a website that converts are simplicity and clarity.
The good news is there is a proven formula that any business can use to focus on what’s really important and safely leave out all of that bloated fluff that’s probably bogging your competition down.
The truth is no matter what services you offer from tree trimming to interior design, to dog grooming, there are only a handful of pages on your website that you really need.
And if you include anything more than those pages you’re probably just making a lot of noise. And sure the details on those pages differ based on what you do, but the pages themselves pretty much remain the same.
5. Not defining your business website objectives
If you don’t have your website set up to perform any vital functions inside your business, like attracting new leads and then nurturing them all the way into paying customers you’re already setting it up to fail.
If you start treating your website like just a glorified brochure that’s all anyone’s ever going to do on your website. Your customers are going to check you out and then they’re going to move on and check out 5 or 10 of your competitors as well.
So you should be asking a lot more about your website. It can do a lot of the heavy lifting inside your business - like filling your calendar with appointments and consultations, and building your email list of future paying customers.
The bottom line is your website can be a customer, a client generating machine, and that’s the goal you should go into it with.
Conclusion
In conclusion, small business owners should avoid making the common website design mistakes mentioned in this article. By doing so, they can create a website that is both user-friendly and effective in helping them achieve their business goals.
Guest author, Patryk Miszczak is a blogger at businessolution.org, a community that aims to help people start and grow their businesses. His specialties are SEO, marketing automation, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).