Creating a website is not as simple as throwing up a few pages and calling it a day. If you want your website to be successful, you need to avoid making common mistakes. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the most common mistakes businesses make with their website. We’ll also provide tips on how to fix them!
Failure to plan
One of the most common mistakes businesses make with their website is failing to plan. Before you even start designing your website, you need to take the time to think about your goals and objectives. What do you want your website to achieve? Who is your target audience? What kind of content will they be interested in? Once you have a good understanding of your goals, you can start putting together a website that will help you achieve them.
Here’s an example:
Let’s say you own a small business that sells handmade jewelry. Your goal is to increase online sales. To do this, you need to make sure your website is designed in a way that is easy for potential customers to navigate and find the products they’re looking for. You also need to make sure your website looks professional and trustworthy – otherwise, people won’t be interested in buying from you.
If you take the time to plan your website before you start building it, you’ll be much more likely to create a successful online presence.
Trying to do everything yourself
Another common mistake businesses make is trying to do everything themselves. Sure, you might be able to build a website on your own. But chances are, it’s not going to be as good as it could be if you hired a professional.
There are a lot of different aspects to website design, from choosing the right colors and fonts to creating compelling content and optimizing your site for search engines. Unless you’re an experienced web designer, you’re probably not going to be good at all of these things. That’s why it’s important to hire someone who is.
Not only will a professional web designer be able to create a website that looks great and functions well, but they’ll also be able to do things like search engine optimization (SEO) – which is vital if you want your website to be successful.
Trying to save money by skimping on website design is only going to end up costing you more in the long run. So, if you want your website to be successful, make sure you invest in a professional web designer.
Forget to renew your domain name
If you want your website to stay up and running, you need to make sure you renew your domain name on a regular basis. Domain names typically need to be renewed every year. So, if you forget to do this, your website will go offline – and potential customers will not be able to find you.
To avoid this from happening, you need to setup auto-renewal for your domain name. That way, you’ll never have to worry about it expiring and your website going offline.
To be even more careful, set yourself a calendar reminder for a few weeks before your domain name is set to expire. That way, you’ll have plenty of time to renew it if something goes wrong with the auto-renewal.
Failing to update your website
Another common mistake businesses make is failing to update their website on a regular basis. Just like everything else in life, website design and technology are constantly changing. What worked last year might not work this year. That’s why it’s important to keep your website up-to-date.
If you don’t update your website, it’s going to start looking dated and old. Potential customers will be turned off by this and they’ll go to your competitors instead.
So, how often should you update your website? It depends on your business. If you’re constantly adding new products or services, you’ll need to update your website more frequently. If you’re not making any changes, you can probably get away with updating it once a year or so.
But, no matter how often you need to update your website, make sure you do it regularly. Otherwise, your website will start to lose its effectiveness.
Ignoring your website content
Your website content is one of the most important aspects of your site. After all, it’s the content that potential customers are going to be interested in reading. If your website content is poorly written or just plain boring, people are going to click away from your site and go to a competitor’s instead.
To avoid this, you need to make sure your website content is well-written and interesting. Hire a professional writer if you need to. Just make sure the content on your site is something that people will actually want to read.
If you’re not sure how to write good website content, there are plenty of resources out there that can help you. Just do a quick search on Google and you’ll find all sorts of articles and tutorials on the subject.
Ignoring SEO
If you want people to be able to find your website, you need to make sure you’re doing SEO (search engine optimization). SEO is the process of optimizing your website for search engines like Google.
There are a lot of different things that go into SEO, from choosing the right keywords to using them throughout your website. If you’re not familiar with SEO, it’s best to hire someone who is.
Otherwise, you’re website is going to get lost in the shuffle and no one will be able to find it. And if people can’t find your website, they won’t be able to buy from you.
So, make sure you invest in SEO for your website. Otherwise, it’s not going to be as successful as it could be.
Getting cheap hosting
When it comes to hosting, you get what you pay for. If you try to save money by going with the cheapest host possible, you’re going to end up regretting it.
Cheap hosts are often unreliable, which means your website could go down at any time. And if your website is down, potential customers will not be able to find you.
So, it’s important to invest in a quality host for your website. Yes, it might cost a bit more, but it will be worth it in the end.
Different types of hosting:
- Shared hosting: This is the most common type of hosting. It’s where your website is on a server with other websites. It’s cheaper than other types of hosting, but it’s also less reliable.
- VPS hosting: This is a step up shared hosting. With VPS hosting, your website is on its own server. But, there are still other websites on the server. It’s more expensive than shared hosting, but it’s also more reliable.
- Dedicated hosting: This is the most expensive type of hosting. With dedicated hosting, your website has its own server. There are no other websites on the server. It’s the most reliable option, but it’s also the most expensive.
- Cloud hosting: This is a newer type of hosting. With cloud hosting, your website is on a network of servers. It’s more reliable than shared hosting and it can scale as your website grows.
Choosing the wrong hosting can have a negative impact on your website. It can make it slower, less reliable, and more difficult for people to find. So, make sure you choose the right host for your website. Otherwise, you’ll end up regretting it.
Not backing up your website
Another common website mistake is not backing up your website. Your website is like any other computer file – it can be accidentally deleted or corrupted.
If you don’t have a backup of your website, you could lose everything. And, if you’ve been working on your website for a long time, that would be a shame.
So, make sure you backup your website regularly. That way, if something does happen, you’ll be able to restore it easily.
Not having a mobile-friendly website
In today’s world, it’s more important than ever to have a website that is mobile-friendly. With the vast majority of people now using smartphones and tablets to access the internet, if your website isn’t designed for mobile devices, you’re going to lose out on a lot of potential traffic.
Making your website mobile-friendly is not as difficult or expensive as you might think. There are a number of ways to do it, from creating a separate mobile version of your website to using responsive design.
If you want your website to be successful, you need to make sure it can be easily accessed by anyone – no matter what type of device they’re using.
Not checking for broken links
Another website mistake that businesses make is not checking for broken links. Over time, as you add and remove pages from your website, links can become broken.
If a visitor clicks on a broken link, they will be taken to a page that doesn’t exist. And, most likely, they will just leave your website and find someone else to do business with.
So, it’s important to regularly check your website for broken links. You can do this manually or there are a number of tools that can help you automate the process.
Ignoring website security
Another mistake businesses make is ignoring website security. Your website is vulnerable to attacks from hackers and cybercriminals – and if you don’t take steps to protect it, you could end up losing important data or even having your whole site taken down.
There are a number of things you can do to secure your website, from using strong passwords to installing security plugins.
Make sure you take website security seriously – it’s essential for protecting your business and your customers.
Not using an SSL certificate
If you’re not using an SSL certificate, you’re putting your website at risk. An SSL certificate is a security protocol that helps to protect data as it’s transmitted across the internet.
Without an SSL certificate, your website is vulnerable to attacks and data breaches. So, if you want to keep your website and your customers safe, you need to make sure you have an SSL certificate installed.
Not sure if your website has an SSL certificate? Just look for the padlock icon in your browser’s address bar. If you see it, that means your website is secure. If you don’t, then you need to get an SSL certificate as soon as possible.
Not having a website at all
Finally, the biggest mistake you can make is not having a website at all. In today’s world, almost every business needs a website. If you don’t have one, you’re missing out on a lot of potential customers.
So, if you don’t have a website, now is the time to get one. And, if you do have a website, make sure you’re not making any of the other mistakes on this list. Otherwise, your website is not going to be as effective as it could be.
Wrapping it up
Creating a website is hard work, but it’s worth it. Just make sure you avoid these common mistakes and you’ll be on your way to website success.
And if you’re guilty of any of these website mistakes, don’t worry – we can help! Our team is here to create a website for your business that not only looks great, but also drives conversions. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you take your online presence to the next level. Call (360) 450-3711.
Who is Graticle?
Graticle is a website design and development company located in Longview, WA. We specialize in creating custom WordPress websites that are beautiful, functional, and easy to use. Our team is here to help you take your online presence to the next level. Call (360) 450-3711.
