Google announced last October that they will be rolling out Google’s Mobile-First Index algorithm. This means they will index websites based on crawling signals from their mobile version rather than the desktop version.
In laymen’s terms? This means they will be checking websites for usability on mobile devices, and if they don’t work, they will be giving them a lower Google score, thus making them lower down on the search list. However, according to BaseKit, 91% of small businesses don’t have a responsive, mobile optimised website.
This made me think, what other elements of business websites are there that business owners don’t always consider as website “no-nos”, and how can they fix them?
Here are my top 5 website no-nos, and how you can fix them:
- Poor design – Is it looking professional or amateurish?
This can be a toughie, so that’s why it’s first on my list.
How to fix it? Get a few contacts to take a look at your website and give an honest opinion about the design. Don’t take it personally, and know that everyone has their own opinion. Consider if your website reflects your brand, and if it looks professionally done (not done in one night by someone’s daughter!). If it doesn’t look and feel right, go in for a refresh of the website, so you stay current and on-brand.
- Not mobile responsive – 50% of people said that even if they like a business, they will use them less often if the website isn’t mobile-friendly, and as you read above, Google will also hit you hard if your website doesn’t work on mobile devices, making it even harder for those clients to even find you in the first place. On average 40% of a websites traffic is now from a tablet or mobile device.
How to fix it? Make sure your website has a functionality to work on tablets and mobiles, there are often plugins and systems which can help you do this. You can also get a web designer to look at your site and enable the mobile functionality, so you don’t have to waste your valuable time finding the right one for you.
- Lack of a definitive marketing message or clarity as to who your target audience is and who you’re speaking to.
This is so important! When it comes to content and design of your website (and your marketing as a whole), you need to consider who you are speaking to.
How to fix it? This can take some time, and although you may think your business serves everyone and anyone, this approach will result in a website that attracts no-one.
Map out 3 key target people you want to market to, and then mould your website to work around them, from their personality styles, to the type of products they’d like most from your store if you have one. This doesn’t mean others won’t find you, it just means you’ll convert your top 3 best clients better!
- Slow loading time – You only have 5 seconds to create a lasting initial impression, are you wasting it with slow loading times?
The best way to fix this is to ensure all of your images are in JPG format, not PNG (which is for print), and how large the files are, if they are larger in size, resize them to a smaller format. If you are a design business which requires plenty of images, consider a loading screen, so people aren’t greeted with a white screen.
- Hard to find contact details. When a website doesn’t share the “contact us” information, which a client is ultimately looking for if they have a question for you, then they will go somewhere else.
The quick fix: Have all of your contact details in a prominent position on your website, and you can have it on a dedicated page as well.
BONUS: Hard to find through Google – lack of essential optimisation. This is key – SEO is definitely NOT dead, although plenty of people are trying to say it is.
SEO is the way in which people find companies and businesses. If your website isn’t optimised for the right keywords that your clients are using, then you simply won’t be found. That’s the basic need and ultimate goal for any website – to have it found by the right people.
How to fix it? Go into your website and look at the keywords you’re using, and consider asking an SEO expert to go through your site and add the relevant keywords and alt tags to help you get found.
So, now it’s time to go out there, check your website, and hopefully fix any issues you may have on this list, so you can utilise your website to get found by, and convert, your perfect clients.
