In the 21st Century, there is no doubt that your business must have a website if it wants to be successful and be in a good position to compete with countless other businesses in your niche all over the world.
Chances are you already know this, and you already have a website set up in your company’s name. However, just having a web presence on its own is not enough; if you want to be successful, you need to build a successful website. It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many business owners don’t get this and think that having any old site up will do it won’t.
Is your website working for you?. Are you getting lots of views? Do you see an influx of new traffic every day? Are you making a lot of sales through your website? If not, your website is failing and there are a few reasons why that could be the case…
It Isn’t Optimized for Mobile Devices
When we first started using the internet, we would log on via desktop computers or maybe laptops, which had large screens and buttons and mice to help us navigate what we saw onscreen. Today, far more of us are using mobile devices like smartphones and tablets to connect. When we do this, we expect websites to function as well as they do when accessed via a computer. If this does not happen, more often than not, we will simply close the site and look elsewhere,rather than persevering with a sub-par site. That means that, if your business website is not optimized for mobile devices, you are likely to lose a lot of business. This is so unnecessary when it’s easy to find good responsive web templates or have a decent web designer sort your site so that it’s suitable for all in very little time, for a small amount of money. Sort that and you might just sort your problem.
You Haven’t Taken SEO Seriously
Not taking the search engine optimization of your website seriously is likely to be a huge mistake on your part. Think about it; how does your audience find you? They do a search via search engines such as Google. When they do this, they are unlikely to look at results on the third, fourth or fifteenth page – they will click on the highest results first. How do you get to be one of the highest ranking results for relevant searches? By using SEO techniques. So, if your website simply isn’t getting the kind of traffic you need to build your brand and make sales, consider using an SEO company to boost your results. You will not regret it because the more people who can see your website, the more conversions you are going to get.
Your Content isn’t Cutting It
While we’re on the subject of SEO, let’s talk about your website’s content. The content you post is an important factor in how well you will rank with search engines, so it is definitely something you need to invest time and money in. Of course, the most important reason to ensure that your content is good is that it will impress readers and keep them coming back for more, so you have far more opportunities to sell for them.
What constitutes good content? Good content is informative and engaging. It answers questions and solves problems for your target audience. Not only that,but it is well written with flawless spelling and grammar. It may include graphics, photos and videos as well as the written word and it should not come across as pushy in any way, although it will need to be subtly promotional in many cases. If you can’t create that kind of quality yourself, find a freelance writer who can do it for you. Content is one of the things that it is definitely worth paying for in any business.
It’s Hard to Understand
When we were talking about content, I should have mentioned that it should also be simple. One thing that can really cause your website to fail is using too many technical terms unless you are specifically targeting a demographic with lots of technical knowledge where it is necessary, that is.
Most customers who visit your website want to see plain English, free of industry jargon and easy for them to grasp. If you fail to do this, they may not understand what you are offering and which of your products/services they may need, so they will go elsewhere. Find their level, speak to them on it and see your website succeed.
Vital Information is Lacking
It would be silly to set up an online store where the price is not shown at any time. Who is going to buy anything when they don’t know how much they will be charged for it in the end? No one, right? Although it’s unlikely you’ll be foolish to anything like that, if you are leaving out other vital information from your website, it is going to have pretty much the same effect. You need to include any and all information that a customer is likely to look for; things like the address of your business. Product specs, business hours, about us, product photos and things like that. Include as much as you can, cover your bases and you should see improvements.
It’s Dated
Sadly if your website looks like something out of the 90s. It is going to either look like a website quickly put together by scammers to make a quick buck, or it will give the impression that your business is failing and you cannot afford to update your online presence. Neither will instill confidence in the reader to make a purchase. So, although you don’t need to spend a fortune on it, make sure your website looks clean, professional and up-to-date.
If you identify any of these issues with your business website, address them as soon as possible and you will stand a very good chance of turning your website around and boosting your business too.