Websites mistakes to avoid when building your site
What if… people are excited when they find your website, but quickly get lost in a long list of messages? What if they can’t tell if you have exactly what they need until they get halfway down the homepage — and by then, they’ve already clicked away? This may very well be happening more than you know. And once you correct it, imagine the business flowing in! Here’s a starting point for thinking critically about your website.
Not making it clear what your products or services are. Greet every visitor to your website with a headline: your mission statement or tagline that explains what you do, how you do it, and why you love it! You can also include something around how you can help – it's always a win when I arrive at someone's website and think “Oh, I need X in my life to alleviate Y.”
Talking too much about yourself and not enough about what you can do for your audience. I’m talking about your homepage here, too – of course, I want to learn about you as a person, but that can be done on a different page. Keep the focus on what you’re offering!
Using script fonts everywhere. They’re hard to read… Even the most legible of scripts should be used for short words, large headings or punchy little details sprinkled throughout. Think “accent!”
Using cheesy stock photos. I’m sure you’ve landed on someone’s page and thought, “I’ve seen that image somewhere!” I love using free stock image resources like Unsplash, but because they are free, you will see lots of people using those images. It’s best to invest in brand photography so you can have those images for your website as well as social media. (More on this to come in a future email!)
Not having clear calls to action (CTAs) for your audience. Envision a purpose for each page of your website and utilize that as a call to action for your visitors. On your about page, is it “contact me”? On your services page, is it “schedule a call with me”?
Having too much text. People’s attention online is very short — about eight seconds, to be exact. You have eight seconds to intrigue your audience before they move on. Keep it simple. Use headers to make certain text stand out. Hiring a copywriter can help immensely with short, effective copy that resonates with your ideal audience.
