No one likes to think of anything they do as being a failure, but when you run a business, you are inevitably going to have to face up to the ‘F;’ word from time to time. It’s what you do when you realize that something isn’t working that counts, not the fact that you have failed at all in the first place, and this is particularly true of business websites.
The average business website takes a lot of time and effort, not to mention sometimes thousands of dollars, to develop, so it can be pretty galling when it doesn’t seem to make much of an impact at all, but you can change that. By identifying the WHYS of your website’s failure, you can do what needs to be done and turn it into an attractive, customer converting success.
With that in mind, here are some common reasons why your business website may be failing:
No one can find it
If no one can find your website, it may as well not exist at all,m which is where good search engine optimization comes in. If your website targets the right keywords in your niche if you regularly post high-quality content, and if you share your link far and wide (without spamming) more people will visit and you will have a chance to impress them.
It’s too cluttered
No one likes a website that’s so packed with “clutter” that it’s pretty much impossible to find what you need. When a customer logs on, they want to be able to navigate to the relevant portion of your website in an instant, and they can’t do this if the page is crammed with images, excessive wordy descriptions, and lord knows what else. So, keep your website minimal, factual, and easy for the average person to navigate and you won’t go far wrong.
It’s old and slow
If you haven’t updated your business website in the past 5-10 years, chances are it is out of date and way too slow for anyone to persevere with it. If that’s the case, you’re going to want to call in a web designer and have them come up with a fresh, fast, and optimized new design for your site, one that won’t frustrate people and put them off ever returning again, let alone making a purchase.
You’re not focusing on the client
Any marketing agency worth its salt will tell you that your business website needs to focus not on your or your business itself, but on the customers who you are hoping to convert. If all of the content on your site goes on about who you are and what you do, using world like “we”. “Ours” and “us” more than “you” and “your” it’s probably going to fall short of the mark because let’s face it your customers are hardly interested in the ins and outs of your business; they want to know what you can do for them, how you can solve their problems and what they’ll get from making a purchase. Focus your copy on them and you’re far more likely to succeed in your aims of selling more of your wares.
Mobile users aren’t catered for
Right now, more than 50 percent of all web traffic worldwide comes from users of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. If your website is not responsive, anyone who is trying to access it from such a device may find it almost impossible to do so, or if they are able, they will not be able to navigate it as easily as they would when using a computer or laptop device. Not surprisingly, they probably won’t stick around and try to get through what can be a nightmare of a user experience; they’ll simply take their business elsewhere, and who can blame them?
No, if you want to make your business website a success, you need to ensure that all user experiences are catered for.
It’s unprofessional
This should go without saying, but sadly too many businesses think they can throw up a basic website in a matter of minutes, populate it with very little content of value at all, littered with spelling mistakes, and coding errors, and still have people flocking to read it. It really doesn’t work like that. I mean, would you buy from a website that was so unprofessional? Probably not.
Unprofessional websites, which have had little care or attention poured into them put people on high alert. Visitors worry they could be a scam site or are less than impressed by the professionality of a business who could take so little care and they go elsewhere for their goods.
Your website is the face of your company online; the thing you use to make the right first impression, and if you haven’t put any thought or attention into it, it will reflect negatively on your business. Give it some TLC and watch it grow and thrive.
Social proof is lacking
Social proof is an important element to the success of any business website. Customers are hardly going to take you seriously if they can’t see any evidence that your business is reputable, and that reputation is a positive one. That’s why you need to make an effort to source and post customer testimonials, links to positive reviews, proof of awards you have won and achievements you have made, and anything else you can think of that says: “This is a good business, It is worth my time.”
It doesn’t give much away
Another common website failure is that it doesn’t really say much about the business or what it’s about. If people who visit don’t have a clear idea of what you sell, where you operate, and how much they will need to pay for your goods/services, it’s hardly going to inspire them to act – they’ll probably just close the window and go about their day without giving you a second thought, so please make sure your website isn’t vague.
Time to fix that problematic site?
