10. You Hired Your Neighbor's Son
So you heard that he has created a site or two, besides he knows how to use your audio system. Thinking of the money you could save, you decide to give him a chance. If you have fallen into this trap you've with little doubt found out what the popular adage means to "get what you paid for". Not only do you now have a website that is no benefit for you, but you have lost out on the benefits of well designed and marketed website could have done for you.
9. You Outsourced Your Work to a Near-Third-World-Country
Another tempting alternative to what might seem to be costly work inside the country. There are two reasons why this alternative is very risky and painful for you and your business. First, communication problems, you either will have a hard time understanding or being understood by your the firm or freelancer you hired and most likely will not be able to find a civil time to be able to communicate over the phone. And second, you'll find like so many have already, that you'll be promised everything and receive a small portion of what you expected.
8. You Purchased a Template and Did it Yourself.
Imagine finding out that someone decided to compete directly with your business. After a little bit of research you find that this competitor has no experience in your industry, has no relevant education and plans on putting little money and time in competing with your business. While you've received a related degree in your field, you've had years of experience doing what you do best and you have even excelled at it. Of course you have little reason to feel threatened by this newly learned competition. If you've decided build a website yourself and haven't succeeded online and haven't figured out why, bluntly speaking, look at your competition. When seasoned web designers and marketers are working on your competition's web presence, there is a reason why your losing valuable clients to them.
7. Your Website Looks Like it was Made in the 80's or 90's (or it was)
If you don't take your business seriously, how can you expect your clients to do the same. Your visitors are looking for the latest and greatest products or services. In short, get with it, or fail.
6. You Created a Splash Page
It is starting to become rare to see these pages, for good reason. Visitors appall them, have better respect for you visitors and you'll see more of them stick around.
5. Your Website contains little to know content.
Usually in this case you have a website because you were told you needed a website. Not only is this tactic looked down upon by your users, but search engines as well. Create something of value for your visitors, design a strategy to get them to build your revenue. A one page site says, "I only did this because I had to." If you only have one page, your site is a failure.
4. Your Site is Boring
Keep things fun, keep things light and above all keep things interesting. It is interest that brought your visitor to your site in the first place and it will be interest that will keep your visitor from leaving. If everything about your website is boring, you'll never convince them to stay long enough to take a chance on you.
3. You thought a Web Designer Was Enough.
Whats the problem with this picture: You build a state of the art sports arena, its beautiful, has many sought out commodities and was built in Antarctica. You may ask, "What's the point of a sports arena if you aren't going to have anyone use it?" A silly scenario, but a common pitfall for many websites out on the Internet, because they are or have a professionally made website with no budget for marketing. When budgeting out your website, make sure to appropriate sufficient funds to attract an audience to it. Use the following flexible rule of thumb for a website budget: a quarter of your budget for design and branding, a quarter for development, a quarter for public relations and SEO, and a quarter for advertising.
2. Your Website is not Unique
You can have traffic to your website, and your design might be appealing to your visitors but if you show no uniqueness or advantage over your competitors your losing more business than you should. Although Branding is often misunderstood, it is a crucial part of defining a unique business image and which should be portrayed through your site. Show a competitive advantage through your website design, style and content and you'll retain more customers and take a few from your competitors as well.
1. Your Website Doesn't Influence Your Visitors to a Profitable Action.
This is the most common issue websites have today, not converting visitors into customers/clients. Either your website doesn't have a plan on converting visitors into customers, isn't focused on it or isn't effective enough. In any way that you look at it, if you can't succeed at this, your website will fail.
So you heard that he has created a site or two, besides he knows how to use your audio system. Thinking of the money you could save, you decide to give him a chance. If you have fallen into this trap you've with little doubt found out what the popular adage means to "get what you paid for". Not only do you now have a website that is no benefit for you, but you have lost out on the benefits of well designed and marketed website could have done for you.
9. You Outsourced Your Work to a Near-Third-World-Country
Another tempting alternative to what might seem to be costly work inside the country. There are two reasons why this alternative is very risky and painful for you and your business. First, communication problems, you either will have a hard time understanding or being understood by your the firm or freelancer you hired and most likely will not be able to find a civil time to be able to communicate over the phone. And second, you'll find like so many have already, that you'll be promised everything and receive a small portion of what you expected.
8. You Purchased a Template and Did it Yourself.
Imagine finding out that someone decided to compete directly with your business. After a little bit of research you find that this competitor has no experience in your industry, has no relevant education and plans on putting little money and time in competing with your business. While you've received a related degree in your field, you've had years of experience doing what you do best and you have even excelled at it. Of course you have little reason to feel threatened by this newly learned competition. If you've decided build a website yourself and haven't succeeded online and haven't figured out why, bluntly speaking, look at your competition. When seasoned web designers and marketers are working on your competition's web presence, there is a reason why your losing valuable clients to them.
7. Your Website Looks Like it was Made in the 80's or 90's (or it was)
If you don't take your business seriously, how can you expect your clients to do the same. Your visitors are looking for the latest and greatest products or services. In short, get with it, or fail.
6. You Created a Splash Page
It is starting to become rare to see these pages, for good reason. Visitors appall them, have better respect for you visitors and you'll see more of them stick around.
5. Your Website contains little to know content.
Usually in this case you have a website because you were told you needed a website. Not only is this tactic looked down upon by your users, but search engines as well. Create something of value for your visitors, design a strategy to get them to build your revenue. A one page site says, "I only did this because I had to." If you only have one page, your site is a failure.
4. Your Site is Boring
Keep things fun, keep things light and above all keep things interesting. It is interest that brought your visitor to your site in the first place and it will be interest that will keep your visitor from leaving. If everything about your website is boring, you'll never convince them to stay long enough to take a chance on you.
3. You thought a Web Designer Was Enough.
Whats the problem with this picture: You build a state of the art sports arena, its beautiful, has many sought out commodities and was built in Antarctica. You may ask, "What's the point of a sports arena if you aren't going to have anyone use it?" A silly scenario, but a common pitfall for many websites out on the Internet, because they are or have a professionally made website with no budget for marketing. When budgeting out your website, make sure to appropriate sufficient funds to attract an audience to it. Use the following flexible rule of thumb for a website budget: a quarter of your budget for design and branding, a quarter for development, a quarter for public relations and SEO, and a quarter for advertising.
2. Your Website is not Unique
You can have traffic to your website, and your design might be appealing to your visitors but if you show no uniqueness or advantage over your competitors your losing more business than you should. Although Branding is often misunderstood, it is a crucial part of defining a unique business image and which should be portrayed through your site. Show a competitive advantage through your website design, style and content and you'll retain more customers and take a few from your competitors as well.
1. Your Website Doesn't Influence Your Visitors to a Profitable Action.
This is the most common issue websites have today, not converting visitors into customers/clients. Either your website doesn't have a plan on converting visitors into customers, isn't focused on it or isn't effective enough. In any way that you look at it, if you can't succeed at this, your website will fail.
About the Author:
Writer, Speaker and Expert Website Designer and Internet Marketer, Matthew Henage, is a leading expert in building profitable websites. Henage is the CEO of Utah website design company, Superior Design Inc., a premier website design company in Utah.
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire