Small Businesses: Top Web Design Mistakes

For any small business, a website is a vital marketing and branding piece. Visitors are driven to a website for a specific purpose, either interested in a product, service or looking for an answer to their questions.

When a website is not designed properly, it can lose valuable revenues for a company. What are the most common mistakes small business owners make when creating their own websites?

• Urgency Over Understanding – Instead of simply focusing on getting a website up and running, it’s important to research target audiences for niche markets. A website should be designed around this, which will ultimately help generate more revenues, as it will attract a broad customer base. For example, if the target audience is older, it may be beneficial to increase the font size. If the audience is younger, it may be best to have a website that is compatible with the latest Smartphone devices.
• Busy Designs – Marketing a website is essential. It shouldn’t just be a flashy, overcomplicated and gimmicky design, but it should be compatible with tablets, mobile phones and the majority of Internet programs. If a site doesn’t pop up within three seconds, generally people will go elsewhere.
• Calls to Action – Websites that have no clear call to action are confusing. For example, if a website wants people to subscribe, purchase a product or contact them, this should be clearly advertised on the homepage.
• Costs – Hiring a cheap website designer is not beneficial. When a company ultimately ends up with a horrible website product, they end up having to hire someone to fix the mistakes. This costs more money in the long run, as a company would have been better off hiring a reputable website designer in the beginning. Additionally, overly expensive website design agencies may only have expertise working with large organizations, meaning they are out of touch with small business needs. Researching local web design options, combining knowledge with value, is extremely important when selecting a Utah web design company.
• Out-of-Date Content – When customers see a website that is out of date, they simply back up and abandon ship. Having up-to-date information makes a business appear more credible. Additionally, companies can hire Utah SEO web design firms, such as Adaptivity Pro, who can help put together an entire marketing package, which includes weekly blogs, updated materials and SEO content.
• Target Audience – A company can’t target everyone, so having a specific audience in mind will help tailor a site for frequent visitors, giving them the best experience possible.
• Do-It-Yourself – First impressions are everything in business, so companies should reconsider the do-it-yourself web page option. First, they often look poorly designed and they lack valuable SLC SEO content that is necessary to increase and expand audience awareness.