5 Web Design Mistakes Small Businesses Make and How to Fix Them.
It has never been easier to make a website.
Designing one that helps you meet your business goals is not so easy.
It has never been easier to build your own website. There are great programs like Squarespace, WIX, and Show It that help businesses build a website and get on the web quickly. The result is a flood of new websites. It has become a necessity for any business.
Sounds good, but let me know if this sounds familiar. You (or your friend, cousin, or sister' ex) design your website. You buy a domain and launch it! With excitement, you wait and…. crickets. Maybe you get a few visitors, but no one clicks to join your email list or sign up for a consult. What is going on?
There are many factors to consider, including engagement strategies and SEO, but for this blog, I will discuss the top 5 mistakes I see small businesses making when designing their websites. I help solopreneurs and small businesses improve their websites and marketing, and I hope this will help you!
#1 Confusing copy
There is a craft to writing. I see many small business owners writing long monologues about their businesses without any real strategy or structure. They also like to write about their business in detail, maybe including a story about why they do it. This leaves your prospective client wondering what this has to do with them. It might even be interesting, but they are busy, and they move on.
A better strategy would be to speak to the needs of their ideal customer. Users know within 10–20 seconds if they want to stay on a website. That is how much time you have to convince them. Pages with a clear value proposition can hold people's attention for much longer. Tell your website visitors what you offer and how it will benefit them within the first few seconds. Do it as simply and directly as you can. Explain how your service or product addresses a problem or need they have. Include testimonials from your past customers (brief and glowing). Check out my free Homepage copy outline.
#2 Too much copy
This mistake often relates to the first. I see solopreneurs and small businesses over-explaining themselves, going deep with processes and explanations, and before you know it, you are looking at a wall of text.
The truth is people just don't read large paragraphs of text on their phones and computer – especially not when they are first experiencing a new company. You will lose them. Be brief; give them what they need to know to decide if your service or product is for them. You can give them links to learn more or send them to your blog or a download. A half page of text is not a door; it is a wall, and your visitor will change direction and leave your site.
Make your information easy to digest by breaking up your text using headlines (H2), (h3), bullets, quotes, and related images and graphics.
#3 No clear call to action
In trying not to be too pushy, many business owners miss a crucial opportunity to engage with their visitors. Once you clean up mistakes 1 & 2, you have a clear, unique selling point. You have explained how your offer will improve their lives in bullet-formatted copy and images. They are interested but can't figure out what to do next. Make sure you build action steps for the different phases of the customer journey. If this is a visitor's first time, they may want to check out your content, so give them a free download or invite them to sign up for our email.
For prospects returning to your site or those ready to buy, ensure there is a clear action for booking a consultation or buying a product. Don't bury your link in the text. Create a button that stands out with specific directions on what to do and what will happen.
Examples:
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#4 Poor quality images
This is a catch-22. Small businesses and solopreneurs do not often feel they can afford a professional photographer, so they gather images from friends, phones, etc, and put them on their site. Or they use generic images of landscapes, computers, etc., and put them up. This can make your website (and thus business) look unprofessional and not ready for primetime. Immediately your visitors will start wondering if you are any good. You are creating doubt – precisely what you don't want to do. Invest in high-quality photos of yourself, your products, and your business. Think of it as an investment that will make returns for you.
Photography tips: Incorporate your unique personality and style so you stand out. Ensure the background is well-lit and not cluttered so the focus is on you or your products. Check the size requirements of your website to prepare your images for optimal viewing and name each image for SEO.
#5 Chaotic website design
There are two different design mistakes that I see with first-time website designers. One is the enthusiastic designer who is so excited by all the options they use them all. They throw everything up there, creating a jumble of font sizes, colors, text, photos and borders, color blocks, and buttons. The visitor's eyes do not know where to go first, and sometimes even what the site is selling.
The other design mistake is the opposite – the business owner is overwhelmed by the whole web-building process. They just want to get the website up, so they create a block of text, then a big image, then more text, then another image, etc. You get the idea. The site feels static, predictable, and boring.
To avoid these mistakes, take time to sketch out how you want your visitors to experience your content. What information and elements do you need to have on your homepage? Let content lead your design, not the other way around.
Also, consider what feeling you want your visitors to have when they land on your website. Calm? Excited? Hungry? This will influence your palette and font choices. Use colors and images that reinforce the vibe you want to create.*
*Dive deeper into choosing the right color palette for your website here.
Last Word
Design a website that takes your prospective client on a journey that is visually pleasing and easy to follow. It should build their interest, provide opportunities for engagement, and reflect your unique brand. Allow images and copy to complement each other and reinforce the message. Some people are more visual, while others are readers; you want to reach both. Be thoughtful, have fun, and prosper!