{"id":6280,"date":"2023-05-02T01:07:47","date_gmt":"2023-05-02T08:07:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/?p=6280"},"modified":"2024-01-18T16:24:33","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T23:24:33","slug":"10-business-website-mistakes-to-avoid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/10-business-website-mistakes-to-avoid\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Your Own Business Website? Don\u2019t Make These 10 Mistakes"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Creating a website for your business is one of the most important tasks you\u2019ll tackle \u2013 and technically speaking, it can be pretty simple and straightforward. But once you realize just how much your website matters to the success of your business, everything suddenly seems a lot more complicated.<\/p>\n
A well-built website will help you build your brand, generate leads, drive conversions, and stake your claim in the digital marketing landscape. Both on and offline, setting up a business website can offer a long list of benefits. And with the right tools (and ideally, some professional support), learning how to make a business website is doable, even if you aren\u2019t particularly tech-savvy. In other words: you can do this!<\/p>\n
But before you dive right in, there are a few things you should know first\u2026 10 things, to be exact. We\u2019ve created a guide to the 10 biggest mistakes business owners make when setting up a website, giving you a list of what not <\/i>to do as you build yours. Avoid these common pitfalls, and you\u2019ll be on track to creating a high-quality website that propels your business towards growth.<\/p>\n1. Neglecting to create a responsive website<\/h2>\n
In our modern world of mobile devices, online users don\u2019t just appreciate a responsive website; they expect<\/strong> it. You may have heard the term thrown around before, but exactly what is a responsive website?<\/p>\n A responsive or mobile-friendly website can adapt to various viewing environments to provide the best possible user experience. So, whether a user is viewing your website on their laptop, smartphone, or tablet, the site will automatically adjust its layout to ensure easy, hassle-free usability.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve all experienced the annoyance of trying to browse a website that\u2019s not responsive, with a layout that\u2019s too big or clunky to fit on the screen of our mobile devices. And if you\u2019re anything like most people, you\u2019re pretty quick to leave a non-mobile-friendly site in favor of a better-designed website from a competitor. In fact, 85% of users say that a brand\u2019s mobile website should be as good as (if not better than) their standard desktop site (Sweor<\/a>). Even Google expects a mobile-friendly design<\/a>, and your search rankings will take a hit if you don\u2019t have one.<\/p>\n This means that whether you\u2019re using a website builder platform or hiring a professional website developer, making sure you get a responsive design is essential.<\/p>\n Having access to all those free themes can be a major perk if you\u2019re setting up a business website using a content management system. These pre-made themes put an aesthetically pleasing and functional website design within easy reach, significantly reducing the amount of time and experience needed on your end.<\/p>\n However, it\u2019s not quite as simple as choosing a theme and calling it a day. Customizing the website theme to align with your unique branding is key, especially because you don\u2019t want a generic site design that looks exactly like thousands of others out there. Today\u2019s online users are smarter than ever before, and you had better believe that they can spot a basic website theme a mile away \u2013 do you really want to risk ruining your chance at a good first impression? Research shows that you only have about 0.05 seconds<\/a> to impress a user because that\u2019s how long it takes for them to make a snap judgment about your website (and, by extension, your brand).<\/p>\n There\u2019s no denying the convenience of website themes, but customizing them is hugely important if you want to create a professional-looking final product. And if that task is beyond your tech or design skill level, don\u2019t hesitate to call in the experts.<\/p>\n It\u2019s always a good idea to check out the competition, and that includes taking a long look at their websites. There are many opportunities to learn from your local competitors’ websites and those belonging to large-scale corporations in your industry niche.<\/p>\n That being said, don\u2019t assume that you can recreate their online success with a \u201ccopy\/paste\u201d approach. It might be tempting to try to replicate a high-performing website, but web design is just one of the factors that can contribute to impressive rankings. For example, if one of your competitors has an established presence in the market (and has had one for several years), that can absolutely help keep their page high on the search rankings. So, even if you were to copy every last detail of their website, your results wouldn\u2019t necessarily be the same.<\/p>\n Instead, take note of the aspects of successful websites that work, as well as those that don\u2019t. Then, think about how to make a website for a business that is entirely your own while incorporating some similar strategies \u2013 ultimately, it\u2019s all about balance.<\/p>\n You already know that the actual text content on your website should be made up of well-written copy, but readability is also largely about how that text looks, <\/i>not just what it says. Users should be able to easily read all website text without any visual distractions.<\/p>\n A few rules of readability include:<\/p>\n A solid SEO strategy is the basis of any website\u2019s success, and search ranking is almost always among the top goals of any site creator and business owner. However, there aren\u2019t any hidden secrets to instantly achieving top rankings; rather, SEO takes time, strategy, and a certain amount of financial investment. You can\u2019t cut corners, no matter how hard you try.<\/p>\n Instead, start with the top keyword you\u2019d like your website to rank for and optimize accordingly. From there, you can continue to build your SEO strategy from the ground up. Here are a few SEO tips to keep in mind:<\/p>\n Have you ever been on one of those websites that just inundate you with pop-up messages? Odds are, you didn\u2019t spend much time trying to browse the site because you got tired of closing out pop-up boxes over and over.<\/p>\n Even though pop-ups can be useful for both the user and your business, it\u2019s important to use them carefully. Don\u2019t go pop-up crazy because that will have the opposite effect of what you\u2019re hoping for. Aim for one pop-up that asks a user to complete one action, like joining a mailing list. (Pro tip: it never hurts to offer something in return for these requests, such as a discount code!). Figure out what user action provides the greatest payoff for your business, and then use that as a jumping-off point \u2013 and leave it at that.<\/p>\n Did you know that close to 50% of online users expect a website to load in 2 seconds or less<\/a>? So, if your website is taking even a fraction of a second longer than that, you need to make some serious changes. One of the most common causes of slow load times is images with overly large files sizes. As beautiful as those high-resolution images may be, they could be detracting from the user experience, your SEO, and your overall success.<\/p>\n Google offers a free tool<\/a> for checking webpage loading speed, so pinpointing a problem takes just a few moments. We promise it\u2019s worth it. And if you\u2019re still not convinced, here\u2019s an eye-opening statistic: slow-loading sites end up costing retailers more than $2.5 billion in lost sales<\/a> every year.<\/p>\n There should be minimal effort involved in locating your business contact information on your website. And yet, so many businesses completely forget this incredibly basic piece of the puzzle. No matter what you\u2019re selling, there should be multiple ways for users to reach you.<\/p>\n The easiest route is to add a \u201cContact Us\u201d section, accessible via an easy-to-see button or navigation link at the top of every single page of your site. On the contact page, users should find your mailing address, email address, and phone number \u2013 bonus points for an online contact form. It\u2019s also wise to feature these details at the bottom of your website because many users look for contact information there. Even if you rarely get a call or email, having this information supports your credibility.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve put the finishing touches on your brand-new website design, you\u2019re done, right? Wrong. While you can certainly celebrate being done with the bulk of the work, now isn\u2019t the time to forget about your site.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot of maintenance that goes into keeping a website up-to-date, both in terms of functionality and the overall quality of the user experience. Some of the many website maintenance tasks to put on your to-do list include:<\/p>\n Sure, using a website builder to create a business site is doable for many people. But in many cases, crafting a website that excels in both form and function is a job better left to a professional web designer.<\/p>\n Web developers and designers undergo extensive training and education, which is why they are the people we trust with the important job of building fantastic websites from scratch. Not only do they have the skills and resources to create a great website, but they can employ specific strategies tailored to your business goals and needs. For many businesses, small and large alike, hiring a professional web development team is an investment that\u2019s well worth it.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re ready to harness the full potential of an excellent business website, V Digital Services<\/a> has the talented team you\u2019re looking for. Our web developers and designers work in tandem with our SEO experts, social media team, and an array of other skilled professionals to build a site that flawlessly fits your brand, needs, and big picture goals.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s join forces and launch the website you really want: contact V Digital Services<\/a> to learn more now!<\/p>\n Contact Us<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Image Sources: TarikVision<\/span><\/a> , create<\/span><\/a> , fizkes<\/span><\/a> , Vladimir Gjorgiev<\/span><\/a> , breakermaximus<\/span><\/a> , MilletStudio<\/span><\/a> , Waniza<\/span><\/a> \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Creating a website for your business is one of the most important tasks you\u2019ll tackle \u2013 and technically speaking, it can be pretty simple and straightforward. But once you realize just how much your website matters to the success of your business, everything suddenly seems a lot more complicated. A well-built website will help you […] KEEP READING<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":25302,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6280"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6280\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}2. Failing to customize the website theme<\/h2>\n
3. Getting wrapped up in the websites of your competitors or industry leaders<\/h2>\n
<\/h2>\n
4. Forgetting about readability<\/h2>\n
\n
5. Misunderstanding the basics of search engine optimization (SEO)<\/h2>\n
\n
6. Going overboard with pop-ups<\/h2>\n
7. Settling for slow loading times<\/h2>\n
<\/h2>\n
8. Making it difficult for users to find your contact information<\/h2>\n
9. Taking a \u201cset it and forget it\u201d approach<\/h2>\n
\n
10. Trying to do it all on your own, even if you aren\u2019t sure what you\u2019re doing<\/h2>\n
<\/h2>\n
Get Set Up with a Website That\u2019s an Asset to Your Business<\/h2>\n