The way your business presents its website to the world is as important as ever. A website is often a customer’s first point of contact with your company. Make the wrong impression and they will soon find themselves on a competitor’s page. We live in a society that wants their online experience to be as easy and fast as can be. That’s the secret behind what makes a great website. One that is easy to use, gets you where you want to go and gets you there quickly without any fuss. People want to find what they are looking for and don’t want to spend an age searching for it. The design and aesthetics are a bonus but get the fundamentals wrong and you could be losing out. Have a look at our guide to common mistakes which are made and make sure your businesses website is all it aspires to be.
Headlines That Don’t Headline
Let’s try a little test. Which headline engages you most and gets you where you want to go.
- Offering IT Computer Services to a Global Audience. Get any computer related service from us
- Problems with your Computer? Get your IT Problems Fixed Today
One is about the business and how it can reach a wide audience. The other is about solving a problem. Most will say the second is more engaging because it directly targets them. The first is needless information that the customers don’t need to know. When customers go on a website they want to know if their problem can be fixed by your business. Whether it’s their problem that they want a cheap holiday, new car, phone repaired. The specifics are irrelevant. They want to know can your business provide them with what they need. It’s about the customer and your website should aim to let them know that you are here for them should they require your assistance.
Not Realising that Less is More
Less is more when it comes to online. The simpler the better. A satisfactory web experience should be about getting to the point. A very little percentage of your audience will take the time to read the thousand word essays on your homepage about what is you do. Whether it’s unnecessary information of overloading your page with clutter. We want a simple experience and the better your website provides this, the better. What are the goals of your website? To get subscriptions? Sales? Whatever the target is, make sure the way to get to it is as crystal clear to the customer. No distractions, no hassles, no headaches.
Here is our Company News
A newsflash to most businesses is that most customers don’t care about news related to their company. They are not interested in how many new markets you are expanding into. Nor are they interested in the new business grant you just received. Most common website homepage mistakes link back to one thing. Unless they are an avid follower of your business, the user’s purpose is to get where they need to be quickly and easily. Daily updates on your business have is not what they are interested in. Sure there is a place for that stuff, but the homepage is not that place.
Navigation Complication
A running theme of the common mistakes that business websites make in regards to the homepage is being difficult to navigate. The goal of the homepage regardless of the service to get to page two. Make it as easy for the customer as humanly possible. Cramming your homepage with anything other than what directs to a second page is needless and gets in the way. A lot of businesses don’t understand this stage which is the most important purpose of the homepage of a website. Have a look at your homepage. Does it take the customer 4 or 5 clicks to get to where you want them to ultimately end up? If so then try minimizing these steps to one or two at the most. Getting the customer where they want to go quickly and easily. The key to a great business homepage.
Elli specializes in leadership development, organisational change, and strategic decision-making to enhance business performance.