How to fix 4 common small business website mistakes

Convert more leads with prominently placed order buttons on each website page.

Convert more website leads by prominently placing order buttons on each page.

By Harry Brown

Small businesses that don’t have a website don’t succeed. It is that simple because websites are that important. Without one, you won’t be able to bring in new revenue streams or convert leads into customers. And, you won’t be able to compete in the marketing stakes with bigger companies. If you have a site, you can do all of this and more, but only if you have a good site. Bad sites – ones full of mistakes – are almost as damaging as having no site whatsoever. With that in mind, here’s how you fix four common mistakes and transform your site.

Mistake #1: Poor design

Nowadays, it is quite easy to design a website. All you need to do is go to a site like WordPress and play around with the free themes before you go live. Plenty of information is available to you online about how to do this; click here to view a wide array of helpful videos.

Of course, trying to create  DYI website can be a great way to go but it can also have some pitfalls. Designing a site is an art and one in which you might lack expertise. As such, you shouldn’t be attempting to design your site alone. What you need to do is use services like Search Geek Solutions web design and consulting. With a professional team by your side, you won’t have to worry about the aesthetics of the site again.

Mistake #2: Not targeting realistic keywords

The great thing about a website is that you can fill it with keywords that target your customer base. Google then uses its algorithm to filter browsers with these specific terms to the relevant sites, i.e. your site. But, before you can exploit this feature, you need to use the right keywords. So many businesses use keywords that they think are right, but that turn out to be dead wrong. Instead of assuming, do a bit of research. What are the most searched terms when it comes to your site? Once you know them, incorporate them into your content, tags and metadata.

Mistake #3: Failure to convert leads

A great website should convert leads into results whether that conversion is a registration or a sale. For the most part, sites are steady but unspectacular when it comes to leads. Sure, the odd one makes a purchase, but there are never enough sales to get the adrenaline pumping. That needs to change if you want to expand and become more successful. The trick is to make it easier to make a conversion in the first place. A button that leads customers straight to the ‘checkout’ platform on every page is always a good idea. So is a short registration process as people hate filling in dozens of boxes – it is monotonous. Finally, use an analytics program to study the data.

Mistake #4: Too much text

Please don’t fall into the trap of using text throughout the entirety of your website. It doesn’t look pretty, and it doesn’t look welcoming. Instead, you want to mix up the text by adding videos and other alternate forms of media. To begin with, they are more visually appealing and exciting to the viewer. As a result, visitors won’t bounce because they don’t want to read all that text. More importantly, videos add value to the site. A video is a much better way to explain a concept than a stream of consciousness.

If any of these problems sound like they might apply to your website, it is time to change them for the good of your business.

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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.

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