9 Common Mistakes Website Owners Make

It’s not easy getting attention for your website. There is, of course, no shortage of competition, and it can be difficult to draw people in, and also make sure they keep on coming back. However, it’s also true that many website owners don’t help themselves. Whether because they overlook something or they fundamentally misunderstand an aspect of what makes a site function well, many are committing errors that hold their website back. We outline some common errors below -- make sure you’re not committing any with your website!

Unclear Landing Page

There are some companies who could simply have a landing page with their name on it, and people would stick around to see what the content of the site was like. But these are only the companies who are already in the public’s mind. Their brand is instantly recognisable, and someone who visits their website already knows who they are and what they do. These companies are, of course, the exception, not the rule. As such, you’ll want to ensure that you have a clear landing page that clearly outlines what you’re offering. A clear, succinct description and a photo will work well.

Lack of Usability

There’s little value in trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to your website. Some sites make navigating from one page to the next more difficult than it should be; there are categories, subcategories, tags mislabeled as categories, and flashy features that look good, kind of, but which disrupt the flow of the experience. Though it’s sometimes tempting to add cool gimmicks to your site, for the most part, they’re not necessary. Your visitor will find it easier to experience your site if they can find it easy to get around. The focus should be on making it easy for your website visitors, not making your site look hyper-modern or ahead of the curve; these approaches often backfire.

Low-Quality Media

Your website conveys its quality in various ways, most of which are subtle. Often, a site can offer something of real value to its visitors, yet undermine the perception of that value by hosting low-quality media on their site. A photo that is of low-resolution, for example, does more harm than people realise. Just think about what would go through your mind if you saw a website that clearly hadn’t thought about the quality of their images. You’d have doubts about the website’s credibility. When there’s so much competition for people’s clicks, you can’t give them any reason to doubt the worthiness of your website.

One-Dimensional Content

People consume content in different ways. Some like to read, some like to listen, some like to see. If your website is only offering your content in one of these mediums, then you might find that you’re alienating the majority of the internet’s users. Instead of just hosting a blog, add videos to your website, or host a podcast. Long-form content, such as ebooks, can also be good. There are million different ways to present the information that you want your visitors to have -- it makes no sense to stick with just one type.

Ignoring SEO

It doesn’t matter how excellent your website may be; if no-one knows that you’re there, then you can’t expect to have too much success, or any, for that matter. Think of the quality of your website as one half of the job; the other is making sure that it’s promoted and that people know that it’s there. Because SEO can be tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s best to leave it to professionals, such as Adelaide website services. They’ll help to ensure that you move up the search engine rankings, which in turn will make it much easier for people to find your website.

Focusing on Social Media

Now, there’s no getting around the fact that your social media channels are important. However, they’re not the most important thing. That title belongs to your website; your Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages should just tools that guide people towards your website. Some website owners make the mistake of focusing too much on social media. They leave all their best content there, and have their site as an afterthought. If you’re going to put energy into your social media channels, make sure it’s as a way to drive traffic to your main internet presence.

Annoying Content

Internet users are tricky beasts. They want things for free, yet they’re exceptionally demanding. If they see something that they don’t like, they’ll just leave, without a second thought. It’s worth keeping this in mind when you’re thinking about your website’s features. You might think that the autoplay video promoting your services is a good idea, but to a person who was not prepared for sound and moving images, it’s just annoying. There is a long list of ways you can annoy your visitors, some of which are beneficial to your business -- unless you’re supremely secure that people will come to your site regardless, leave these features off.

No Updates

You might launch your site safe in the knowledge that you’ve created something of value, but that doesn’t mean you get to sit back and just enjoy your creation. One of the downsides of running a website is that you never get to sit still for long. You always need to be coming up with new and exciting ways to engage your visitors. Trends and styles change, and you need to stay on top of them. Furthermore, people naturally have doubts about websites that look like they’re never updated. It can make it seem like it’s a dead site.

Thinking of Yourself

Finally, always remember this number one rule: your website doesn’t exist for your benefit. It exists for the benefit of your visitors. When you’re making changes, you should do so by thinking in terms of “who is this change good for? Am I doing it for myself, or for other people?” It’ll help you to stay in line with what’s good for your customers.