Whether you are an ecommerce only small business or you have a bricks-and-mortar store in addition to an online one, your website speaks volumes about you. But many small business owners often confuse a good-looking website with a good website — or ignore the design, layout, content, and navigation of their website. And these can be fatal mistakes.
Following are 12 common website mistakes small businesses make.
Mistake #1: Forgetting who your target audience is.
Mistake #2: Not making your website mobile friendly.
Mistake #3: Changing your URLs without adding a redirect.
Mistake #4: Not clearly and concisely explaining what you do or what you are selling; using jargon and cliches.
Mistake #5: Not refreshing or updating your content on a regular basis.
Mistake #6: Not leveraging social media (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest) and having links to social networking sites on your Home and product pages.
Mistake #7: Using Flash.
Mistake #8: Not including an email opt-in form on your Home or Contact pages.
Mistake #9: Not doing UX (customer experience/usability) testing.
Mistake #10: Not checking that the site looks good — and functions properly — on all major browsers, both desktop and mobile.
Mistake #11: Taking cybersecurity for granted — i.e., not having appropriate anti-virus software or security measures (firewall) in place.
Mistake #12: Not monitoring/tracking visitor behavior.
To learn more about each mistake and how to fix them, read my latest article, “12 Ways to (Not) Screw Up Your Website.”