Simple, intuitive navigation is one of the biggest keys to having a successful company website.
By Henry Brown
Whatever industry you’re in, it goes without saying that having your own website will greatly increase your presence, help you to connect with more potential customers than ever before and increase your sales. But that will only happen if you take the time to set up an appealing website.
So many companies lose potential customers because they simply haven’t given enough time or thought to their websites, causing them to make the kind of mistakes that keep customers away.
If you want to ensure your website is actually an asset, here are some of the most common website mistakes you’ll want to avoid:
Poor/No SEO
If you don’t take the time to implement proper search engine optimization practices, like those offered by rubydigital, then potential customers who are interested in the products or services you offer are simple never going to find you.
Good SEO practices make it easy for customers to find you by using keywords and by pushing your website further up the ranks of Google. Bing and other search engines, so you absolutely must, if you do nothing else, get this aspect of your website right.
Lack of proper customer service
Customers are increasingly opting to ask questions and make complaints via company websites, and if they find that the customer service there is lacking, there’s a good chance they’ll be turned off and either never make a purchase, or refuse to come back and make another purchase. If you offer customer service on your website, and you probably should, please make sure that your staff are fully trained and enthusiastic about helping visitors who contact them.
You don’t have a thank you page
It might seem like an insignificant thing, but having your website redirect to a page thanking the customer for their business once they’ve made a purchase is a great way to make them feel valued and keep them coming back for more. After all, you thank your customers and clients for their business in the real world, don’t you?
Your website is hard to navigate
When a client visits your website, they should be able to find everything they need quickly with just a click or two of the mouse. Websites that are easy to use will always have customers coming back for more, whereas sites that take forever to load are difficult to read and impossible to navigate, won’t see many repeat visitors at all because it just isn’t worth their time to come back.
Your information is sparse
If a potential customer finds their way to your website, only to find there is very little information about your products/services/industry, and what information is there is so basic that they feel like they know more about the subject than you do, it’s unlikely they’re going to have much confidence in your company, and they will go elsewhere.
You take negative reviews badly
If a customer leaves a less than glowing review and you take to the site to refute every claim they make, even if you’re in the right, it will not only look like sour grapes, but it’ll look like you have something to hide and other people who read your website will be turned off.
Does your website have any of these flaws? Now you know the steps you can take to ensure that it’s inviting to customers.
____
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.
