Having an online presence is a must for today's companies. It is also necessary for every website to be optimised for search engines, as existing on the Internet without SEO is like having an office, but no one knows the address or the services.
However, many people think that just having a page with general information about products or services is enough to compete with others. The reality is that although it is the first essential step to enter and participate in today's market, it is far from being the only thing necessary. What's more, a bad site is detrimental to any business, so we tell you what common mistakes to avoid.
Failure to update
This is one of the most common failures we encounter. Many clients have a site, and regardless of how well or poorly designed it is, it lacks new content. If we continue with the metaphor from the beginning, it is like renting a store in a commercial store but never stocking the product or cleaning it. The shelves will be full of dust and as time goes by less people will be interested. Most will ignore its existence and a few will remember that it is the website that you don't have to enter because if you have seen it once you have seen it all.
The importance of an updated site goes beyond the commercial offer: it is important to redesign the parts that cause navigation problems, update campaigns, renew the look & feel when design trends are modernized, optimize its operation with better tools (forget about Flash and Internet Explorer), upload new and relevant content in the blog and so on. A neglected or forgotten site will generate problems and you will lose many potential customers.
Innovative" design
As much as there are forgotten sites, there are others that want to dazzle from the first moment... and make mistakes for it. The intention is good because the first 3 seconds on a website should be enough for each visitor to be attractive, because in that time they decide whether to stay or flee and look for other alternatives.
However, it is important to avoid believing that the visual part is a priority or that the black thread will be invented. The potential consequences of this are 3 main ones:
- Leave aside everything that is not visual.
- Keep working forever on prototypes and never launch the site.
- Launch a site that would look beautiful if it were a photo, but is slow and full of flaws.
Site yoyo
Your site should talk about what you do and offer, yes, but focused on the interests and concerns of those who visit it. There is no reason to focus all the content on the company or its products and services. That is to say: your website should not be just an online store. If you talk first about you, then about you, and finally about you, you're in big trouble.
Make no mistake: your site should attract prospects and convert them into customers, as well as include an online store. But it shouldn't be the only thing it does: it shouldn't focus all its content on attempts to sell, sell, sell; in fact that will drive people away. Talk about what your potential customers need and how they can solve their problems beyond the use of your commercial offer. And for all the love in the world, don't include pop-ups.
Forgetting who you are
This is the other extreme of the previous situation: many sites do not make clear essential information such as: what the company does, what it offers and how to contact it. It is essential that the first two points are clear from the first contact of any visitor.
Do you sell vacuum cleaners? Make it clear with text and an appropriate image on the home page. Do you sell software for accountants? Tell them that you solve their auditing needs with a program that not only has practical tools, but always stays in compliance with the relevant legislation.
In the first 3 seconds someone spends on your website they should be clear about what you offer and who you are. They should be able to contact you by phone and/or email or live chat (and reply in less than 24 hours if it's email). They should know that they can count on you, but that you don't just want their money, you want to help them, even if they don't buy or hire you as soon as possible.
Broadly speaking, a website is a never-ending project that must be kept relevant and be at the centre of the entire digital strategy.
