Okay, so that’s kind of a rough title. Sorry… But hey, at least it got your attention. So here goes. Below are 5 mistakes regarding your web presence that could be costing you customers and/or revenue. And please, before you beat yourself up, just know that no one’s website is perfect (this one included! I know, gasp…) We all have room to improve. So let’s all get better together.

And without further adieu:

5 Mistakes That Are Hurting Your Web Presence
  1. Site not optimized for mobile.
    Currently over 50% of web users are browsing the internet on a mobile device. So if your site isn’t optimized for smartphones and tablets, you could be alienating (or at least frustrating) over half your users. Yikes.

  2. No clear direction on where to click.
    Your customers and clients are coming to your site for a reason. They want something: Information. A product. Someone to contact. A place to connect. But if they don’t (easily) know where to go, they’ll quickly get discouraged and leave. So make sure it’s obvious where they should click. Prominently feature the most important parts of your site. And don’t make your navigation overly complex. Keep it simple.

  3. No (or hard to find) contact information.
    Similar to the point above, when people want to get in touch with you, it should be incredibly easy for them to do so. This means they’re interested! So don’t push them away by making them dig (i.e. click 15 times through a labyrinth of pages) for a phone number or contact form. Make your “Contact” link readily available.

  4. Cheesy stock photography.
    Seriously. Bad stock photos can ruin a website. And if it’s that cliché picture of a nondescript businesswoman wearing a headset, you might as well just close up shop today ;-) But honestly, put in a little extra work to find some quality photography. It makes a huge difference for your user experience. And believe it or not, there are several sites with exceptional, FREE stock photos. Here’s just one of them: https://unsplash.com/

  5. Overly complex or jargon-filled copywriting.
    There are times for complex writing. But on the web, it should be kept to a minimum. Complex writing can live in certain parts of your site (product specs, in-depth explanations, etc.) but it shouldn’t be the main focus. Write for humans, because that’s who will be reading your copy. Your text should be simple to read, easy to scan, and easy to digest. One quick test is this: Ask yourself, “Would I personally want to read this?” If the answer is “no,” do a bit more editing.

    Oh, and in regards to jargon, our general rule of thumb is this: Treat it like drugs, and just say NO :) Pretty please, with a cherry on top.

So that’s it for now. There are of course plenty of other things that could be amiss about your web presence, but if you can avoid these 5, you’re in much better shape already.

Thanks as always for stopping by!

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Onwards and upwards.