Your website is the first introduction many customers will have to your business so you want to make sure you’re giving them a great first impression. Your website should reflect your brand, showcase your personality and help win you new customers, while pleasing your existing customer base.
Can a bad website negatively impact your business? Absolutely.
In today’s post we’re sharing just a few of the ways that a poorly executed website can turn customers away from your business.
No Personality
It can be tempting to err on the side of corporate formality but we urge you to consider your customer base when working with your agency on your website design. Look at the demographics that make up your existing customer base, as well as the demographics you’d like to branch out into – the key is to strike a happy medium between your existing and desired customers.
Keep your content engaging, your graphics clean and your company message clear. Find a tone of voice that sums up your business and make sure every word, image and CTA is consistent with it.
Lack of Security
The way you approach your website tells customers everything they need to know about your business, so security should always be a top priority. For starters, if you’re still running HTTP then make implementing HTTPS the top thing on your to do list.
Carrying out regular security audits is something every website owner should be doing – a few things to consider are consistent theme and plugin updates, back ups, secure data storage (this is non-negotiable) and payment protection services.
Poor Quality Images
While content is king, it’s the visuals of your website that hook users in. Keep your graphics clean and crisp, and always consider our first point on the list – show your brand’s personality through the images you choose. Keep things fresh and inspiring: for a brand new website launch why not consider hiring a photographer to take shots of your business at work to ensure your site’s visuals are truly personal to your brand?
No CTAs
The main purpose of your website is to generate interest in your business and what’s the best way to encourage users to take the next step? A bold call to action.
While we’re all aware of the merits of not being overly pushy with potential customers, don’t go too far the other way and abandon the sales side of things all together. There are so many inventive ways to utilise CTAs throughout your site that don’t follow the outdated ‘sell sell sell’ approach.
Let’s take your company blog as an example. If you’ve created a blog post linked to an event you’ll be appearing at soon, it’s the perfect place to add a CTA to encourage the user to sign up to attend the event. At the end of a post about your latest book, why not include a CTA to direct the user to where they can purchase the book using an offer code to save 10%?
Complicated Navigation
While web design continues to evolve in more creative ways, a few elements of web design have become so standard that it’s jarring to visit a website that bucks the trend too much. Company logo on the left, main navigation in the header, policies in the footer: these are three things users have come to expect.
It pays to be unique but not at the expense of an intuitive user experience. Keep things interesting with eye-catching graphics and exciting page elements but don’t be tempted to start interfering with the natural flow of the website. Above all else, it has to be user-friendly.
Lengthy Sign Up Procedures
Whether your product is an inventory of physical goods or an advisory service, generating leads or sales is likely to be a key function of your website.
Perhaps you’re pushing for a larger database of newsletter sign ups, or maybe you’re looking to boost online sales of your course or products this quarter. Whatever it is, keep it simple. Don’t force users making a purchase to set up an account – a guest checkout might mean you lose out on a new account registration but have you ever wanted to make a quick purchase that you’ve swiftly abandoned after you had to fill out two pages of account details? Of course you have. We’re all impatient these days and allowing users to sign up for more information or check out in a few simple clicks is imperative.
When it comes to newsletter or event sign ups, think about the fields you really need – if all you need is a name and e-mail address then don’t get tempted to add address or telephone number fields. Of course, with any sign up that requires inputting of data you need to ensure GDPR is your first point of consideration. Keep it simple, keep it secure.
*
Have the points above given you some food for thought? If it’s time to give your website a new lease of life then don’t hesitate to contact our team of WordPress experts for a quote tailored to your business needs.
