Here are the 10 most common website issues that we uncover during our marketing assessments:
10. Underdeveloped about page.
Next to the home page of a website, the about or team page is often the most visited page on a website. It deserves a little love, too. I can see why some people skip or skimp on the about page. At first glance, it feels a little narcissistic to dedicate and write an entire page about yourself and/or your company. But people buy from people they know, like, and trust. The about page is an opportunity for you to let your audience get to know, like, and trust you. Without this personal touch, your website might appear to users as cold and inhuman.
9. No physical address on the website.
Not anywhere. While this isn’t imperative in every single case (e.g. large e-tail websites, etc.), the majority of service-based companies need to have their address listed for SEO purposes, especially where local SEO is concerned. Why? Well, when search engines use their robot spiders to crawl your website for information, that info both informs the search engine on what your site is about and legitimizes your website. Search engines don’t want to show sketchy websites to their searchers. Adding a real physical address helps those search engines understand that you are the real deal.
8. Call to action only on one page, or no pages with call to action.
Giving your visitors the ability and reminding them of the opportunity to connect with you right when they land on a piece of your content or design they love creates a positive user experience. Eschewing calls to action only makes it more difficult for your audience to take action when they want. I understand some hesitancy here also – a call to action feels like asking someone to buy. I know you don’t want to be pushy or overly salesy, but hiding the call to action is not making your website more enjoyable. Imagine if your website were a storefront – calls to action are points of sale or even salespeople. If a customer walks in, your salespeople don’t run and hide.
7. All services or products listed on one page.
There is no SEO to be gained from one page with a multitude of focuses. The more specific a page is to one service or product, the better your ability to rank for that item. If you serve commercial and residential, make those two separate pages – offer a B2C and B2B product? Two pages. Serve three or four different regions or cities? You can even make a separate page for each area, too.
6. No contact form.
People today want to be able to do a thing while they are doing another thing. So, phone calls aren’t always the best way for people to contact you. Often, an email feels too personal, but a form is an easy and comfortable way that someone can reach out for more info. Sure, a contact form may seem like a slower process than direct email or phone call, but you have to make it easy and comfortable for those who want to contact you. Often, if I need a service done, I’ll search until I find a company with a contact form rather than have to make a phone call. This lets me begin the contact on my own time.
5. Not enough detail.
While you don’t want to make your content boring or hard to sift through, it is important that users get the information they are looking for from your website. Give the people what they want and organize the information in a way that isn’t overwhelming. Scrolling through your website only to find out you offer “solutions” or “serve in many ways” is simply not going to compel audiences to interact with you. No one wants to do work to find out what you do – it’s not mysterious, it’s just annoying. Instead, make sure you answer questions your audience may have about what you do, where you work, and the value you provide in a clear, understandable way upfront.
4. No recent or new content.
Google likes to know you’re still there. They want to know you are nurturing your business and prospects. That your information is current and not outdated. The only way it knows this is through the addition of new content on a regular basis. Whether that is monthly, bi-weekly, weekly, or even daily, adding new content to your website is essential to achieving good search engine rank performance. Many websites have a blog or article section where they post new and original content regularly. Posting new content shows search engines that your website is still active and shows audiences and search engines that you are an expert in your industry.
3. No contact information on the home page.
The home page is by and large the most visited page on virtually any site. It’s the starting point. But, if someone is already sold on you, there should be contact info or links on the home page. Make it easy for them to contact you or make a purchase when they’re ready. Getting people to buy from you shouldn’t be difficult.
2. Only one contact option.
Yes, I know what number 6 says, and even so, there are so many different communication styles today that you want to offer contact options. While a form is standard and less personal, you still want to have at least a phone number to call, or even text or chatbot opportunities as well. I mentioned earlier how I want to contact a company on my own time. However, I know that I’m not the only customer and perhaps not the only customer persona type the business is focused on. While I might engage with a company in the evening or weekends if it’s for a personal project, I might rather call them during typical business hours if it is a work-related solution.
1. No links to or from another internal page.
Your website is the best opportunity you have to get buy-in from your users. Interlinking your content can create a great experience for your users. They can go from one nugget of wisdom to an entire goldmine. Creating this “web” (get it – “web”site?) will give your users the opportunity to continue a journey and go deeper down the rabbit hole, rather than having to hit the back button to navigate to a different page. On this journey through your website, users will get to know what your product is, who your company is, and the value and uses for your product. They’ll begin to know, like, and trust you which will eventually lead to purchase if your product is the right fit for them. Intentionally crafting this journey so that users slowly buy in to your message and value can be very helpful for turning your website into a virtual salesperson (one that doesn’t sleep!).
Those are just some of the common website issues, there are plenty more. Are you curious now about your own website or marketing strategy? We offer Free Marketing Assessments to qualified companies. You can apply for your business today, just click here.
My philosophy is more than just words or data, it is finding a way to marry content and SEO strategy with dynamic advertising to build online equity in our clients’ businesses. Writing is my passion, using it to help others is my pleasure and part of my mission at Hot Dog Marketing.