10 Mistakes to Avoid When Creating a Website

WEB DESIGN & WISDOM

10 Mistakes to Avoid When Creating a Website

Getting a website means you can put pretty much anything you like on the internet for your visitors to see, however there are many mistakes you can make that will stop them sticking around. Here are 77 Rockets’ top 10 mistakes you should avoid when building a business website.

1. Not giving your customers the information they need
For nearly all business websites there are key pieces of information that visitors want to be able to find quickly and easily; for businesses that are open to the trade and public these include opening hours, phone numbers and your location.

2. Using poor quality images
The internet is a very visual medium, and poor-quality imagery on your website can often make people think twice about sticking around. There are loads of sources for royalty-free photographs that can be used, and the quality of most smart-phone cameras is such that anyone can take decent quality product shots without professional help.

3. Having a site that doesn’t work well on a phone
Over half of all website visits are made using smartphones rather than computers. And if you’re targeting younger visitors then the percentage can be much higher, with some reporting over 80% of visitors coming from mobile sources. All modern websites really should be designed so they work equally well on both computers and phones.

4. Not keeping things updated
Everyone knows how annoying it is to find a website full of out-of-date content; a menu that’s no longer available, a special offer that has expired, a news page about things that happened two years ago. Out-of-date information is a real turn-off and it’s vital that you either have a site with content that is unlikely to become dated quickly or make sure you keep it current.

5. Making it hard for your customers to contact you
One of the key purposes of nearly all business websites is to help your prospective customers contact you, so don’t make it hard for them to do so. Simply sticking a contact form onto a site isn’t enough – customers want phone numbers, email addresses and often even a chat option.

6. Only thinking about your site from your point of view
This is one crime that most business owners are guilty of in one way or another. It’s far too easy to forget that your business website exists solely to help your prospective customers find out more about your business. And it’s very important you get to understand what your customers want, and need, to know, and make sure that information is easy to find.

7. Too much text
Helping your visitors find the information they want is a key point of a business website, so unless your business creates something like scientific equipment, you should use a little restraint with the amount of text you use and let images do the talking. Text is a very important part of any website but keeping pages concise and on-message without too much jargon is the best way to engage your visitors.

8. Not linking to your social media pages
We live in a very connected world and people expect to be able to find out more information about you through your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media profiles. Not including clear links to your socials can be a real turn-off for a lot of younger visitors, so make sure you make your links very obvious.

9. Not giving your visitors ‘calls to action’
‘Call to Action’ is the phrase given to visual cues to website visitors so that they know what they are expected to do next. These would include things like “Contact us” and “Buy” buttons. Poorly designed websites can make it hard for visitors to find the information they need, often resulting in them leaving.

10. Not being legal
What’s your cookie policy? Have you given your visitors your postal address? Can people easily find your VAT number or company registration? There are loads of rules and regulations when it comes to running a business website and to avoid prosecution or having your website taken down it’s best to make sure you’re legally compliant.

So, there you have it. Our rundown of the 10 most common mistakes business owners make when taking on the daunting task of building a website for their business. Building a website for your business isn’t rocket science, but unless you know what you’re doing it can certainly feel like it. That’s where 77 Rockets can help – we work with small and medium-sized businesses to build the websites their businesses deserve. Why not talk to us and see what we can do for you.

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