Many business owners operate under the assumption that having a website for their small business means converting leads by the barrel. This is not necessarily true. If you are having difficulty converting page views into credible leads, you could be making one–or all–of the following five mistakes:
Slow loading time
Your visitors have clicked onto your site because they want information, and you have promised them they will find it there. If your home page takes too long to load up, visitors are apt to click off your site and go somewhere else. Avoid using excessive .jpg images on your main page. The fewer graphics and images you have on your website, the sooner you can begin making a case for your business.
Incompatibility
Another costly mistake that business owners make with their small business website is failing to stay compatible. Many Internet users now access websites on their mobile phones. If your website is not compatible with mobile viewing media, it will appear cluttered and unorganized when it finally loads. Content may be missing or moved to represent something else. Ensure that you are running both a PC and mobile version of your small business website.
Navigation isn’t up to par
Visitors need to know where to go to get the information that they are looking for on your page. Without careful attention to this crucial element of maintaining a website that works for you, you may be inadvertently deterring visitors. Most visitors expect to find the information they are looking for within a relatively short amount of time — that is, before the baby starts screaming or the phone rings again. Use icons to keep your website as viewer friendly as possible.
Too much clutter
Having too much content on your small business website can cause it to appear cluttered, something that many consumers equate with a lack of professionalism. Visitors expect clear, concise and correctly formatted text. They may become bored if they need to read through an entire paragraph with text in different colors, fonts and sizes before arriving at your point. Scrutinize every item on your website and ask yourself if it really needs to be there.
Content not engaging
Sometimes the answer to your conversion problem lies in improving the content that you display. Content needs to be engaging and inviting. Update your website regularly with new content to keep visitors coming back and engaging with your content offers. Failure to do so indicates a lack of growth for the business, and will drive away many credible leads. Text is often considered monotonous and unengaging, so use it as a supporting agent rather than a point of interest. Instead, use pictures, videos and content offers to tell your story.
Keeping an eye out for these costly errors could mean the difference between closing a sale and losing one. As you learn to avoid these errors, you will enjoy higher conversion rates, more credible leads, and ultimately more profit.
