The Top 5 Small Business Web Design Mistakes to Avoid!
For a small business, an impressive and attention grabbing website becomes all the more important. Since small businesses need to try harder to carve a niche for themselves in any competitive industry, they need to ensure that they steer clear of the many common web design mistakes that a rookie is prone to commit.
So what are these small business web design mistakes to avoid? We list out 5 common mistakes that can make all the difference when it comes to “make or break” a small business.
Mistake No#1: Stale Content
What is it that converts a visitor in to a potential customer? No matter what others tell you, fresh, interesting and engaging web content is the key to building a popular website. Old content or copied content makes a visitor think he/she has visited the site before and didn’t find it quite interesting the first time round; and hence will not feel compelled to explore the site and read more about the services/products you have to offer. Additionally, poor content will also negatively impact your Google ranking, which means that your website will not be visible to the targeted audience. Since people cannot find your site easily, they don’t know how good or bad your business really is. Keep content fresh and update it frequently. Also, websites that have more engaging content are more likely to attract new visitors on a regular basis.
Mistake No#2: Poor Navigation
A website that has great content but poor navigation is equally disastrous. People don’t have a lot of time to waste, so if your website doesn’t allow them to filter content and only read relevant information, they are unlikely to spend more time trying to figure out what your website is all about. A well constructed website will be divided in to relevant sections, each with unique content so that a visitor can easily identify what information is useful. A layered approach with easy navigation is a must for a small business website, and a search tool adds a more professional look and feel to the website.
Mistake No#3: Irrelevant Links
Links are very important to make a website popular. However, not all backlinks are created equal. Your visitors are looking for links that establish your credibility and also tell them more about your credentials and knowledge about the subject.
· Therefore, only create valid links that take your visitors to the right place.
· Links to well constructed pages within the website, links to a blog created for your business to impart extra knowledge, links to articles submitted to popular directories that talk about the benefits of hiring your services are all good.
· However, dead links that lead no-where is one of the most important small business web design mistakes to avoid, as these only tell a visitor that you are unorganized and not 100% dedicated to your business.
Mistake No#4: Cluttered Layout
Nobody likes a website with a cluttered design. The best way to ensure that your web design is simple even though multi-layered is to hire a professional. If you try to handle your own web design without adequate knowledge, it is very possible that you have a cluttered site with too much content and a bunch of pictures that together create a very distracting look. It makes the site hard to read and navigate through, which ends up looking rather amateurish. A poor design layout hinders with the overall impact your website will create, irrespective of how good the content or pictures really may be.
Mistake No#5: Inadequate Knowledge of Web Analytics Tools
If you want your small business website to be successful, you have to know how to target the right audience and give them what they want to see. But how can you know that if there is no way to track the progress of your site? With the right web analytic tools, you get a deeper understanding of which part of your website your visitors like, how they navigate within the site, and what exactly grabs their attention to be able to make the necessary tweaks to make your entire website more impactful.
Author bio:
Diana Smith is an author of this article. She is a part time blogger and a regular contributor to several business blogs. Diana is interested in topics related to advertising, marketing and business promotion with promotional items. She enjoys seeing her readers getting useful information from her articles.
We love to create awesome websites for small businesses! It is our passion and goal to help as much as possible people with a beautiful online presentation that represents who they are and what they stand for.