We probably don’t need to tell you that a website is a crucial part of your business. But there is a difference between a website and an effective website. We find employees and business owners are often too close to their own product or service to realize the messaging on their website is ineffective. Often when we audit a website, we find these common mistakes:
Your Site is Hard to Navigate
You might know your website like the back of your hand, but does your navigation make sense to visitors? Your site should work as a quasi-funnel, pushing users through to your desired conversion or set of conversions. As with flying a plane, clear navigation gets people where they need & want to be, as quickly as possible with minimal thinking. If your visitor can’t find what they are looking for, they’ll leave. According to Neil Patel, “The design of a website’s navigation has a bigger impact on success or failure than almost any other factor.” Sometimes it takes an expert to step in and put themselves in your customers’ shoes in order to determine the way they will navigate your site. Or better yet, consider all the possible ways one might want to navigate and ensure your navigation can adapt to various user types.
Fail to Collect Emails
Even if your site showcases your business well, if you are not encouraging visitors to at least provide an email, you’re missing out on free marketing potential. There is strategy involved in asking for people’s information without making them feel their privacy is going to be invaded. You must add value for the visitor and make them feel like you’re doing them a favor when they enter their email. According to HubSpot, 80% of business professionals believe that email marketing increases customer retention and 59% of respondents say marketing emails influence their purchase decisions. But it has to start with collecting visitor emails. An expert can help you quickly spot easy ways to collect data while offering the visitor a value add that makes sharing their contact info worth it.
Call to Actions Aren’t Effective
Someone may visit your website and even click through multiple pages but… so what? If you aren’t asking them to take action on your site, you aren’t reaching your website’s full potential. Examples of call to actions might be “contact us” or “buy now.” We also see clients with CTA’s that ask the visitor to take too much action at the wrong time like “apply here” or “register here.” You have to know when your customer just wants more information and when they’re ready to dive in. An expert can help you define your desired actions and help you develop an effective funnel with properly placed CTA’s and effective word choice.
Your Website is Ugly
According to a Stanford University study, nearly half of all consumers (or 46.1%) ...assess the credibility of sites based in part on the appeal of the overall visual design of a site, including layout, typography, font size and color schemes. Not everyone has an eye for design. Even if you had someone design your site it doesn’t mean they are UI/UX experts. Combining a great user experience with an attractive interface is an art. You also have to strike a balance. If your site is overly designed and flashy, it might be taking away from the message you’re trying to convey to potential leads. 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content/layout is unattractive. If your site is ugly, your target audience may quickly bounce. An expert in UI/UX can design your site both with visual appeal in mind and while optimizing the presentation of important content to your customer.
Your Site Isn’t ADA Compliant
When a website fails to meet ADA compliance, many businesses find themselves in hot water. Lawsuits against non-compliant websites are starting to become the expectation, not the exception. But, this should be the least of your concern. The loss of potential business is huge with 25% of folks having some sort of disability. ADA requirements are related to components of a website such as code structure, appearance, and usability. It is imperative you, or an expert, understand these requirements, meet them, and keep your website accessible. ADA compliance is complicated and overwhelming. Finding an ally with in-depth ADA knowledge can make all the difference in ensuring ongoing ADA compliance.
You Don’t Have a Website Pro on Your Side
Is your meta data optimized for SEO? If you aren’t well-versed in the marketing world these terms probably feel unfamiliar, but they are crucial components of attracting traffic to your website. You’re not expected to know everything. You may be able to talk about your business like no one else can but that doesn’t mean you’re an expert in web design, user experience, and digital marketing. Marketing agencies like 10 Pound Gorilla are experts in web development and digital marketing. We live and breathe the ins & outs of an impactful website. We can’t fly a plane and we don’t expect a pilot to be able to design an effective website. Even if you have an internal marketing team, unless they’ve handcrafted hundreds of websites, there may be potential for missed opportunity.
That’s where we come in. 10 Pound Gorilla has built thousands of websites from the ground up and we do understand the nuances of effective web design. 10 Pound Gorilla takes on the perspective of your visitors while considering all your business needs. 10 Pound Gorilla will design and build a website with a strong return on investment. Not only can we complete all of your web and marketing work, but we can also work alongside your internal team to provide website and marketing audits with clear recommendations to help your team be more successful. Get a free consultation today!