5 Mistakes to Avoid in Your 1st Small Business Website Design!
Your
first small business website design needs to create a great lasting impression.
According to Google, 97 percent of consumers search online for products and
services. Close to 58 percent of small businesses, however, lack a website. For
those who own a small business, a website is crucial for success.
When
creating a successful small business website, it is extremely important to
present services and products in a favourable way and answer all your visitor
queries. Initial mistakes with your website design can cost a lot of cash – and
this is something no small business can afford. Additionally, one could lose
more potential revenue along the long term.
This
can be avoided by ensuring a well thought out, correctly functioning and
professionally designed website. Avoid the following errors and grow your small
business through a vibrant web presence online:
#1 Targeting Too Big an Audience
The
first and most important mistake you need to watch out for is to know who the
target market is and how to focus on them. If the site is too broad in its
approach and target, it could end up not appealing to anyone. Assess who the
perfect customer is and formulate a buyer persona. Focus on creating the best
potential experience for your niche audience works best.
#2 Rushing Instead of Understanding Your
Customer
While
one may want a website to be up and running as soon as can be, it is important
to understand your customer and your specific market and apply the same to your
website design. For example, if your target audience is a young adult user, it
is essential to ensure the website design and integrated social media accounts
are associated with that specific demographic. If products are geared towards
an older crowd, one needs to ensure the sales copy is targeted towards them and
the font size is larger than normal and easily readable.
#3 Busy or Flashy Designs That Are Tough To
Navigate
Another
glaring small business website design trap many users fall into is thinking
busy or flashy designs draw more attention to the site. This is not really the
case. For a website to succeed for your small business, it is important to design the site that
makes it easy to use and navigate. If the website is busy, customers will not
know where to go, so they will probably head out to the competitor’s site.
Busy
websites don’t look good on mobile phones or tablets. For example, Pew Internet
Research found 63 percent of net users deploy a mobile device. Visitors to
sites know what they are looking for. If a site does not load within 3 seconds
of being accessed, users will leave. Therefore, it is time to rethink website
design rather than make this error.
#4 Non Responsive Website Design
If
your small business website is incompatible with mobiles or other smart devices
like tablets, there can be a real problem. Individuals using a mobile or other
smart devices prefer responsive sites. Yet, close to 96 percent report visiting
sites that are not mobile-first. Site owners need to take care that they
develop a mobile-friendly, responsive design that adapts to devices, browsers
and screens. A vast number of users access the web through smartphones and
tablets and this is set to rise. If small business website design falls short of being responsive, usability issues
can drive visitors away.
#5 Lack of User Friendly Content, Unclear CTA
User-friendly
content is a real asset for small businesses. Neat layouts, engaging content
and fonts as well as graphics that are easy to scan and relate to are
essential. One of the major flaws of
website content that is tough to read is the lack of appeal. Prospective buyers
need a website that scores on aesthetics as well as functionality. Otherwise,
your small business will never make it big!