Most business owners already know the importance of having a website for their company, but many aren't fully utilizing the power of their websites to launch their company towards success. Companies that do learn how to properly organize their websites will be able to better reach customers and increase their sales. Whether a company wants to recognize it or not, having a great website is crucial to business operations. Read on for five of the most common mistakes businesses make with their websites.
1 – Not Including a Call to Action
Proper calls to action are an essential part of any website. Businesses that are just starting out with their websites often fail to include the right call to action on their site. While all the pertinent information for a business should be on the website, it is also important to show visitors to the site what they should do next.
Should consumers visit the online store? Sign up to join the mailing list? Whatever action you want visitors to your site to take, this should be included in the call to action. The call to action should be placed toward the end of your content, making sure to describe the type of services and products a company has combined with a phrase that compels buyers to act. All calls to action should be clear, simple, and easy to understand. These include phrases like "sign up now", "get started", and "add to cart".
2 – Failing to Setup Analytics
Tools for gathering analytics on your company's website can seem like an unnecessary feature to add, but it is essential to the growth of your business. Instead of adding analytics to their site, many businesses are never aware of the level of their business' performance. However, investing in learning the analytics and metrics of your website will help you better plan for success. These features help to track, test, and adjust the way your website functions to ensure it is performing as effectively as possible.
3 – Not Creating Content for SEO
Every business owner hopes to make their site rank higher in search engines. This is where creating content for SEO comes in. When small business owners spend time doing keyword research, creating solid and relatable content, and link to relevant websites, they'll be able to better reach their audience. Companies that simply set up their website with a few pages with no blogs aren't taking full advantage of the power of their websites.
4 – Not Posting Consistently
Just as SEO is important, so is making a habit of regularly updating one's website. When the Internet first took off, small businesses could get away with posting content just to have something new on their website. However, as more businesses created content hoping to rank high on search engines, the need for high-quality content increased. Regardless of how many blogs already exist, content is still king and the higher the quality, the better.
5 – Failing to Encourage Social Engagement
Small businesses have the unique opportunity to better connect with and engage with their customers in a way that larger companies can't. Businesses should try to integrate their social media accounts with their websites as much as possible.
For a business to succeed in person and online, companies need to do more than simply create a website. By reading through these five mistakes, companies can learn how to better use their website to guarantee future success.
