Every business these days knows they need a website. Not all have them but there are few who would deny a website can be a great place to make a first impression and connect with potential customers.
Here are a few of the most common mistakes that could be making your life harder running your website.
1. No Unique Title Tags
If you have not taken the time to update your title tags, then you could be missing out on valuable clients. These clients could find your website through Google but you may be penalised for not having unique title tags.
If your website is built using WordPress then plugins such as Yoast will offer useful tips to help you get started. These are the very basis to getting started with SEO and something that should not be ignored. The title tags are most commonly seen like in the two images below.
2. No Unique Meta Description
It is hard to talk about the title tags of your website without the meta description too. These go hand-in-hand with the title tags to make up the listing that you see in the Google rankings. They are another great place to kick-start your SEO on your website and one of the more important ranking factors that Google uses.
3. Slow Website Speed
If your website is running slow then it can lead to customers leaving. After all the hard work has been done getting people to your website, slow page loading speeds can break a deal. This is not an easy fix and will need some more technical knowledge but tests have proven a loading speed of over 3 seconds will lose 40% of all traffic to your website.
You can check the speed of your website here: https://tools.pingdom.com or by viewing Google’s own speed check tool: https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/
Losing customers due to a slow website is the equivalent of losing customers to bad service in a bar or shop. If your product or service is the best then serve it in the right way.
4. Mobile Optimisation
If your website is optimised for speed, then mobile optimisation is a must too. The same Google tool as mentioned above will tell you in which ways your website is not optimised and how to improve this. Browsing the internet is so common these days that it is expected that your website be mobile optimised and ready for use on any smart phone. Most new websites should be mobile ready but older ones will need to be edited to work on all devices.
To further push the point that all websites should be mobile optimised Google are testing, and to some extent using, new ways of deciding the search rankings based on mobile websites and how easy they are to use.
5. You Haven’t Update Your Website Recently
Website trends come and go. Technology moves forward and new updates are released by Google. It makes sense to keep on top of these advancements even if you do not have the time to update a blog every week. It is recommended that your website be updated visually once every 2 years. It is not something to be built and forgotten about as your customers will quickly forget too.
6. No Social Media
Social networking has become a part of everyday life. Facebook has several billion users on a monthly basis and the other major networks are not far behind these numbers. Between Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, all of your customers are waiting for you to interact with them.
Having no social media presence on your website can mean missing out on valuable interactions. It may only be a like on Facebook but that could become a second purchase in the future. Whether you add small icons, a feed from one of the networks or just making content shareable, the benefits make it a worthwhile change.
7. Not Being Easily Contactable
All websites have a contact page but what does this really offer your clients and customers? A contact form is great if the customer has the time to wait for a reply but generally these pages should have a phone number, email address, social network links and maybe even WhatsApp, if you have a mobile device that you can use for business. Take advantage of the age of communication that we live in, it shows no signs of slowing down.
8. No Analytics
It is massively important to know how many people are visiting your website and where they are coming from. Should you be investing more in Facebook Ads? Do you have a large following on Twitter but no-one comes to your website? Do visitors from Google come on to your website and leave immediately? These are all important factors in the decisions you take on a daily basis.
Google Analytics is my preferred method of tracking but Facebook Pixels and many other systems are around to help you get this information. Getting it setup is not the most basic of processes but with a little help you can suddenly have a wealth of information ready to help you move forward with your business.
To Recap:
- Use unique title tags
- Use unique meta tags
- Speed up your website
- Get mobile optimised
- Update your website
- Get social!
- Make sure your customers can reach you
- Use Google Analytics to stay informed
These are just a few tips that all websites should be looking at. If you are making any of the above mistakes it is time to take more notice of what you might be missing. Over 80% of customers like to check online before visiting a business, do you offer the best first impression?
If you would like to discuss any of the above points further then please feel free to contact us for a free consultation.