Your goals for launching a website for your business are to introduce your products or services and create a favorable impression on your potential customers. The site should put your business in a good light and consequently bring in increased revenue. If it looks like an online disaster though, then it’s doing your bottom line more harm than good. Here are five things that are surefire turn-offs for your audience:
Amateurish look. If you want to come across as a reliable enterprise, then you have to look the part. It doesn’t inspire confidence in your clients if your site looks like it was put together by an eight-year-old on a sugar high. Go for a clean, polished web design that reflects your brand identity. Hire a good web designer. It’ll be worth the cost in the long run.
Difficult to navigate. Your site should make it easy for visitors to find the information you want them to see. Don’t make them click through eight links just to get to the profile of your products and services. Broken links are a major no-no. And don’t put “This webpage is under construction” as a placeholder. If it’s still under construction, then don’t put it out there at all.
Poorly written content. A site riddled with typographical errors and grammatical mistakes is an eyesore. You may have a great product but if you can’t present it in a clear and coherent way, then you won’t get people to buy it. Be diligent with copy editing all the content that goes on your website and correct errors as soon as you see them.
False claims. Yes, you want to promote your business but go easy on the superlatives. Don’t say you’re number one if you don’t have hard facts to back it up. Don’t publish false reviews or put out inaccurate data. It’ll damage your credibility if you’re being dishonest to your customers. And in this day and age, it’s very easy for people to verify if you’re telling the truth.
No contact details. Speaking of credibility, one simple yet effective way to establish this is to put your contact details on your website. If possible, provide a physical address aside from a phone number and email ad. This assures customers that you’re not some fly-by-night operation who’s out to scam them.
Building a website nowadays has never been easier. For businesses to thrive, having a website has also become an imperative. Just make sure that your site makes your business look good and gets your customers to actually trust you.
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