As part of my efforts to research potential iBrattleboro advertisers, I've been looking at many web sites throughout the region. If you have a site, it's either been looked at or is on my to-do list. It is an interesting process, and not only because we also run MuseArts, our own web design business.
Viewing hundreds of sites in short period of time, I've compiled a list of common web site problems I've come across. Since it is sometimes hard to know if your own site is effective I thought I'd share some of the easiest problems to fix.
They are:
1. No web site at all.
In 2008, a business without a web site is wasting its own time. It missing out on all the customers who do research and make choices online.
A good site can prepare your customers, inform them, educate them, which gives you more time to concentrate on running your business. A good site is advertising and marketing, but it can be more.
No site can mean that your are listed on the Internet in a directory as a name, but without any way for customers to learn more.
FIX: Get a web site, pronto.
2. A web site that looks shoddy.
Your web site may be your first and only chance to make a good impression on the person viewing it. A poor design will actually hurt your efforts. Th number of area businesses that get it right is growing, but many sites I came across were almost useless.
Some, for example, have no text. Just images. That throws away the best chance of being indexed by a search engine, and makes it hard for potential customers to read (some people like to make their typefaces bigger, or smaller, using their browser) and print.
Some look like they were made by untalented but well-meaning associates. They look like they were cheaply done, and make the business look amateur and shoddy in the process. They have blurry photos, or spelling errors. If your friends and relatives have genuine web skills, use them - otherwise hire a professional.
FIX: Use someone who really knows what they are doing. Ask to see samples of similar work.
3. No way to contact the business.
I was shocked to see more than one business that had gone through the trouble of making a web site, but provided no contact information. None at all! A web site is an online brochure, or help desk, that can answer your customers questions if designed correctly. One of those questions will always be "How can I contact you?" It should be one of the most obvious elements of the page, near the top, and repeated elsewhere.
FIX: Add a contact page, with full details.
4. Only way to contact is by phone or mail.
Web sites are typically visited by people using the Internet, who want to click and send emails or text messages. They don't want to write a letter and mail it. Unless you are open 24 hours a day, you are losing out on everyone visiting your site at odd hours, on weekends, and holidays. And not everyone likes to use the phone. Provide an email address for online contact from a web site.
FIX: Add an e-mail address to your contact information.
5. Only way to contact is through a form.
A form is better than nothing, but again, provide a way for people to send an email. Customers may not like the choices on your pull-down menus. They might have more to say than your fields allow. You should always allow web visitors to send an email - and ideally to anyone in the business. (Car dealerships use forms the most of any business I've come across, for some reason. They also seem to use templates created by the franchise that could be improved with some localization.)
FIX: Provide an email address on the contact form page as an alternative to using the form.
6. No unique domain name.
It used to be tolerable to have your site simply be a page in a business listing - but not anymore. You need your own site, customized to what you offer, and designed with your customers in mind. With that site you will want your own, unique domain name... the www part. That web address shows you are serious about how your web site performs. The right name will also help you stand out and be found. Lack of a unique domain name, again, may tell your customers that you don't really care that much.
FIX: Register a domain name and move your site to it. Promote www.yourdomainname.com in your printed materials, too.
7. Template sites lacking customization.
While I prefer original designs, I can understand the temptation to use a template if there is a limited budget. That doesn't mean sacrificing quality, though. Some sites that use templates haven't taken the time to "finish the job" and complete the template, so that site visitors are met with "under construction" pages or, worse yet, the pre-written template creator's dummy text that is meant to be changed before using the template.
Templates need to be customized, and in many cases made local, so that regular customers feel that personal connection they feel when they do business with you. Your site should match expectations. FIX: Check to make sure all of the customization is done, and that all links and pages of your template work. Get rid of the "dummy text" and images. Make the template unique with your own original text, images, and other features.
8. Not enough information.
A web site can contain lots of information, but some people don't say much at all. These are, for lack of a better term, "business card sites." They are missing out on search engines finding phrases and words that help direct customers to their site. They don't say who owns the company, or what they do, or why they do it. They don't mention their philosophy of doing business, or what additional services they offer. All that is there is name and address, and little more.
FIX: Think about all the things people typically ask you about the business, and include all of this information on your site. Write a history of your company. List all of your products or services. Link to other sites that might be useful to your customers.
9. Site hard to find.
Some sites come up in every directory, and rank high in search engine results. Others are buried, usually due to poor design, and haven't had much promotion at all. This makes it hard for customers to know you exist, unless they know the specific name of your business.
FIX: Make sure your site is designed with search engines in mind. Take the time to promote your site once you have one to take full advantage of your investment in creating it.
What do the best sites have?
They look good on modern browsers, feature spectacular images, they are easy to navigate and find what one is looking for, they have complete contact information and sufficient detail about the company to begin to get to know if it is a good fit. Search engines index them, and other sites refer to them. These sites work for their owners - saving them time and money, and making them look good in the process.
Take a look at your site and see if you can improve it with a few simple changes.