When you make your own website it is common to make mistakes. In today’s blog I’ll share three common website mistakes that I see when rebuilding or maintaining sites in Plattsburgh, NY.
The goal of today’s blog is to outline the common mistakes and suggest ways to improve your website. It is best to take an incremental improvement approach to you website, as you should update and improve it often.
It is best to look at your website every 6 months to a year if not sooner to see if any updates need to be made. Technology changes quickly these days, and it’s important your website doesn’t fall behind the competition.
Websites can play many different roles in your business. They can serve as your company’s portfolio, act as a reference to potential customers, and help you build brand awareness.
A well-designed website attracts more visitors and leads to more sales. It can also be used to inform your customers about new products or services that you offer.
Websites have become an indispensable part of business today. Plattsburgh shares many of its media outlets with larger cities such as Burlington, VT, and Montreal, QC. It can be hard to compete with larger companies with a wider target audience.
Websites allow your business to stand out right where you’re located. The information on search engines is geo-located to where you are searching from. Search engines will show you the highest-rated businesses located close to you.
Your website can provide customers with directions to your location, provide information about business hours, and strengthen your brand image.
If your business does not have a website, consumers may wonder if you’re legitimate. A website gives potential customers confidence in your business and helps them feel more comfortable about purchasing from you. Establishing a brand is an essential marketing strategy, as it helps build trust, set you apart from your competition, and increase your chances of converting sales.
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Knowing how to target the right clients is key to success. I often see small businesses trying to establish authority on their home pages by saying they are great. Instead of telling everyone how many years in business you have, and where you went to college- tell people how you solve their problem. The best way to refocus your website is to go through a client avatar exercise.
Understanding your target audience is crucial in good website content writing. A target avatar represents your ideal customer and helps you tailor your message specifically to their needs and preferences.
By developing a detailed target avatar, you can gain insights into your audience’s demographics, psychographics, behaviors, and pain points. This information allows you to craft persuasive copy that resonates with them on a deeper level.
Using a target avatar in copywriting helps you create content that speaks directly to your intended audience. It enables you to address their specific challenges and desires while showcasing how your product or service can provide solutions.
Moreover, incorporating a target avatar into your marketing strategy allows for better customer profiling. You can refine your messaging based on the interests and motivations of different segments within your audience. This personalized approach not only enhances the effectiveness of your copy but also increases the likelihood of connecting with potential customers.
One of the biggest problems with a website that’s not mobile-friendly is that it’s not easy to read. Many businesses have websites that were built 5, 10, or 15 years ago. Sites built years ago are missing out on many things – especially mobile functionality.
With the increasing use of smartphones and tablets, more and more people are accessing the internet through their mobile devices. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that your website is designed and optimized specifically for mobile viewing.
One of the key reasons why having a mobile optimized site is important is because it enhances user experience. Mobile users have different needs and expectations compared to desktop users. A mobile optimized site ensures that your content is easily accessible, readable, and navigable on smaller screens. It eliminates the need for users to constantly zoom in or scroll horizontally, providing them with a seamless browsing experience.
Another reason why mobile optimization is important is because it impacts search engine rankings. Search engines like Google prioritize websites that are mobile friendly in their search results. Having a mobile optimized site improves your chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), thus driving more organic traffic to your website.
You can use Google’s mobile-friendly test tool. Although it’s far from perfect, it can help you figure out why your website isn’t mobile-friendly. It can be frustrating for the site owner, but this tool is one of the best diagnostic tools available. It helps you determine if your site is mobile-friendly so that you can improve your ranking.
Another way to make your site mobile-friendly is to use lazy loading. This can speed up page loading times, allowing mobile users to read your content faster.
Images are integral to any website. It is common that I see business owners using poor resolution, too large, unoptimized, or incorrect for the topic photos.
Choosing photos for your website can be a tricky process. There are many factors to consider and you need to make sure you choose the best possible ones for your needs. First and foremost, you want to choose photos that convey the message you want to send to your visitors.
Avoid using generic stock photography as it will ruin the professionalism of your website. Instead, choose photos that tell the story of your website, and are of the highest quality. If you do need to use stock photography choose those that best look like the people and places where you do business.
Keep in mind that royalty-free images have less editing rights than those from paid sources. You should read the license terms of the photo source before using it. It’s also important to use original photos, and you should never copy photos from Google.
Go through your website and see if you have better photos that you can use to represent the product or service being discussed. If you don’t have your own photos, check websites like Shutterstock, Unsplash, Pexels or Pixabay for high quality images.
Unfortunately, not all images are created equally. Images make up almost one-sixth of a web page’s weight, so it’s important to select high-quality images and ensure they’re optimized for web viewing. Crop them to the size that you need. Also, compress your images or use file formats like .webp that reduce the load time of any photos you put on your site.
Alt-image text is often neglected on many Plattsburgh, NY websites. It is important to tell site-impaired users what is in the photo. Anyone who uses a screen reader will hear the alt-image text. If optimized correctly your alt image text can also improve your results on search engines.
It may take time and effort and a few revision rounds to get your website in the right order. Thankfully there are tons of videos on Youtube, and articles on the internet. Check out my coaching and consultation services if you’d like to talk with me about your website and how to improve it!
