In 2021, what’s the worst thing that could impact your business? Marketing errors, tough competition, low sales? Let’s backtrack a little.
How do you know if your website is bad? Here are 10 tell-tale signs to watch out for.
#1 Slow Page-Load Speed
No one likes a website that takes forever to load. In this fast era, patience runs out quickly. If your website takes its sweet time opening up, you are surely losing many customers. An otherwise good website is of no value if people can’t even open it.
#2 Poor Navigation
Did you ever play the game Minesweeper growing up? A bad website looks a lot like it. And surely you don’t want users randomly clicking away on your website until they get lucky, no?
To reduce bounce rate, ensure that your website is neat and tidy, with clear navigation. At a glance, a customer should know where to click to meet their needs. Don’t make them run around in circles for basic tasks.
#3 Bad Fonts and Design
Before building a website, make sure to learn some basic design rules. Ugly fonts, garish colors, and tacky designs can get your customer running. And you don’t want that.
Therefore, ensure that your website has appealing visuals. The fonts and colors should stand out, but be easy on the eye. Don’t use yellow text on a white background and then expect to deliver your message.
#4 Non-Mobile Friendly Website
Here’s a fact: 52% of web traffic generated around the world is through smartphones. That means, more than half of your website views come through mobile phones, not computers. Thus, don’t forget to optimize your website for mobile access.
While people don’t sit in front of a computer all day, they always have their phones at hand. So, if your website can’t be accessed through a smartphone, you are losing half your audience!
#5 Poor Tagging
If you don’t include H1 tags on your website, you are losing out on web traffic. H1 tags are the first thing search engines look for to determine what your site is about. Thus, your H1 tags should clearly convey the purpose of your business. Moreover, effective tagging will help your audience navigate your site better.
#6 Thin Content
What’s thin content? Imagine that you are hungry, and someone gives you only a slice of cheese to eat.
Much like that, thin content is the content that leaves a consumer wanting more. It is not filling, does not have value, and does not fulfill their needs.
Any content on your website that is useless, distracting, duplicated, or poorly written is thin content. Scrap it.
#7 Poor Quality Images
Nothing is as off-putting on a website as a grainy image. Make sure you use high-quality images with the correct dimensions on your website. The images should be crisp, pleasant to look at, and relevant to your products. Also, avoid images that are too large, because they can slow down your website.
#8 No Call to Action
What use is your website if it is not engaging your audience? Give your homepage a thorough review to see if you are prompting any action. For example, are you directing your audience to visit your in-pages, follow your social media, subscribe to your newsletter, or make a purchase? If not, you should be!
#9 Heavy Promotion
Your website content should not read like an advertisement. Its purpose is to attract your audience with engaging content while promoting your products. This means you should make your content relatable, easy, and fun to read. Make sure you don’t suffocate a consumer with your promotions, or else they’ll backfire.
#10 Unclear Messaging
This is perhaps the most important factor when it comes to websites. Unfortunately, it is also the most overlooked. Don’t confuse your audience with complicated jargon. Instead, use easy language and clear instructions. Simplicity is key.
