What mistakes is your website making?

Here are 6 things you need for a successful website:

1. Plenty of content and info for first-time visitors
   First of all, if your site doesn't have enough relevant text (relevant, as in: information made with your customers in mind), it won't be found in the search results. The first thing visitors want to make sure is that you're a local business, so stating your geographic location on your home page is a must. You must also have the ability to keep track of where Google is sending your visitors. Are they landing on your home page or a different page on your site? Your site's statistics should be measured regularly.
2. Answers
   People who are searching for answers will lean toward a website that answers the bulk of their questions right away. If you're a builder, and visitors on your website don't understand whether you build high-end homes or are moderately priced or if you do renovations or only new home constructions, they will move on to a website that's easier to understand. Also, pay attention to the questions customers ask when they call. Those answers should also clearly appear on your site.
3. Layman's terms
   Avoid using terms that might be unfamiliar to visitors to your website. Some acronyms may sound normal to you, but not everyone knows what ICF foundations or SIP walls are. And if they don't understand what they are, they won't understand why they should appreciate their value. Test your site with a middle or high school student. Have them read the text and point out any words they don't recognize.
4. New information, updated frequently
   What year does your site's copyright say? If it's anything but the current year, it's time to change. If the visitor is under the impression that a website hasn't been updated in a while, they'll search for one that's "with the times." Make sure your company news is current, and include recent events (within the past 30-60 days). Also, use photos that match the current season. No one likes to see a gloomy winter picture during the summer. This all goes for your blog, too. Blogs are only useful if it's constantly updated. Simply having a blog does NOT help with SEO.
5. A real, well-built & well-designed website.
   Yes, there are many free blogging programs out there, but your website should not be built as a blog. Blogging software does have some definite advantages. You can get a blog up and running within a few minutes, and it's incredibly easy. But the structure of a blog is not meant to give a first-time visitor the information they're looking for. A blog is meant to display articles and events in a time-focused format. It displays the most recent information first, which may not be relevant to what a visitor is looking for. Visitors also have a harder time finding the information they need -- contact info, a description of services, etc. Let's say you're looking to buy a car. First, you research what kind of car is best for you, then you go to a dealer's website. You search their site to see if they have the exact car you want. If they do, you then want to read about the dealer: how long have they been in business, do they have testimonials, what are their hours, where are they located? All these questions need answered, and they need to be found easily. A blog simply can't do that.
6. Call-to-action
   Lastly, your visitors need to be told what to do. Do you want them to send you an e-mail? Do you want them to pick up the phone and call? One of the biggest mistakes in any marketing message is not telling your customers to do something (A.K.A. a "call-to-action"). And, it should be something enticing, like "call for a free consultation" or "sign up for our free newsletter." A website only works if your visitors take action.

Other faux-pas to avoid:

• Poor design and functionality. Good web design is largely based on consistency. Menus should remain in the same place on every page, links should all be the same color, a logo should be visible at all times, copy text should be the same font on every page...
• Too complicated or too slow. Flash may be a neat feature, but many times it can be too complex for casual Internet users. (Not to mention, an entirely flash-built website can destroy your SEO potential and take a long time to load on users' browsers.) Aesthetics are certainly important, but it must be balanced with functionality or the ease of use for the typical user.
• Broken links and errors. Make sure every link on your site works. "404" errors can frustrate users and make your site seem unprofessional.
• No contact info. A contact page must be found easily. And e-mails should be replied to right away, or visitors will move on to someone who they feel will put them first.
• Ignoring statistics. Detailed reports of visitor traffic are available for your website. By monitoring your statistics (like which pages get the most traffic), you can tailor your marketing and find weak spots in the site.
• Shunning spiders. Spiders are what search engines use to find your website. Your site must be designed so that it remains high on search engine rankings. This process is called search engine optimization (SEO). There are, however, ethics and strategies to SEO. Some practices (like hidden text, redirects, and linking to unrelated content) could get your site banned.
• Not hiring a professional. Search engine optimization is complex and takes much time and energy. In addition, there's a science to building a successful program. See how Wilmington Design's SEO program can help your website get noticed. Learn more about our methods HERE.