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May 12, 2024
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There are so many ways to ruin your website. We see it all the time. Too much copy, stock photo after stock photo, never ending load times. The list goes on. And honestly, some of these mistakes are so small, it’s hard to tell you’re even making them!
So, for peace of mind, we decided to compile a checklist of all the absolute worst website crimes you can commit. How many of them are you guilty of and what can you do to make it better? Only one way to find out 👇👇👇
“There are certain things you absolutely *cannot* do when it comes to your website if you want to retain and convert the absolute maximum amount of clients and customers that come to your website”
Julian Tillotson
Founder & Executive Producer, INDIRAP
Your website’s aesthetic, look, vibe, and feel are the absolute key to showing off who you are as a brand. Without it, you won’t stand out. You need to put your best face forward. Is your site engaging enough? How are you keeping people entertained on your page? Does your website invite you into an experience? These are the questions you need to continually ask yourself. If the answer is no, your site needs some work.
This isn’t a museum it’s a digital sales room. You do not need to tell your entire life story! Adding too much information is just overwhelming and will end up confusing your visitors. Keep it simple and clean and just provide the information that your visitors really need to know.
On the other end of the spectrum, playing it too cool and giving your audience nothing is going to get you nothing. When in doubt, just remember that your site should act as a well oiled funnel. Getting customers in and out quickly and succinctly. If something doesn’t add value, it doesn’t need to be there.
Stock photos won’t cut it. It’s one of the top website sins we see on the reg. Stop playing yourself. People want to know YOU and your team. They want to see behind the scenes. People’s attention spans do NOT exist. We’re in a visual age and it’s waaaay past time to invest in great branding. You need high quality imagery that showcases your team, your product, and your brand in the best light. Period.
If you haven’t incorporated video into your website yet you’ve already given your competition a leg up. It is a piece of marketing collateral that pays dividends for years and years and years. We’ve been shouting this from the rooftops for years. Because. It. Works.
There is nothing is worse than bad copy. Stop using obnoxious sales copy or buzz words just ‘cuz. When it comes to web copy, you never want to overwhelm. You gotta give your visitors just enough information to take that initial bite. Keep it fresh, keep it accurate, and focus on providing value. Page after page full of copy heavy, hard-to-digest paragraphs is not what’s going to make a sale. Don’t waste your time or your customers time.
“Everything isn't about asking for the sale. It’s about moving customers through the customer experience.”
Julian Tillotson
Founder & Executive Producer, INDIRAP
Your strategy is your guiding light. Without it, there’s a good chance your website will spiral into chaos. Every aspect of your site needs to be centered around what you want it to achieve. Why is this picture here? How much thought went into this headline? Is the flow easy to follow? Figure out what your goals are and make sure every single aspect connects back to that. If nothing does, it’s time to trim the fat.
People can’t read your mind. If you want them to do something you need to tell them exactly what that is and then guide them to the finish line. Keep it simple and stupid and never make it overly complicated to complete a sale. Providing plenty of easy to locate call to action buttons is going to help move the buying decision forward.
“Invest in this. People make snap decisions. People judge you based on the way you look. Whether you want to believe in that or not.”
Julian Tillotson
Founder & Executive Producer, INDIRAP
54% of your audience are viewing your site on their mobile device. Not everyone is going to be at their computer. So if your site isn’t designed to be mobile friendly, there’s a good chance your losing half your potential sales. Are you cool with that?
Don’t piss off Google. Keyword stuffing is a HUGE an algorithm killer. Keep your keywords distinct, strategic, and accurate to keep your site running at top speed. Not to mention, it just brings us back to the bad-copy issue. Write with a purpose and focus on value. If you’re doing it right, the keywords will come naturally.
Another Google no-no. The larger your file sizes are, the more likely you are to end up with loading delays. The longer the loading delays, the more of a chance you have of losing your viewer’s patience. Definitely not a risk worth taking. Be concise with the amount of files you add and be sure each is compressed to ensure a speedy site.
“You don't just create a site one time and have it sit there.”
Julian Tillotson
Founder & Executive Producer, INDIRAP
Your website is never “done”. Ever. It is a living thing and should always be evolving. Make a habit of checking out your ranking on Google and regularly clean up your site based on that score. Your site can always be optimized and updated to keep it fresh and running at its best. Don’t be lazy. Keep striving for the best.
Running paid ads is a must if you want to rank on Google. But the worst thing you can do is put money behind a site that is not optimized. If your site is guilty of all the Google algorithm no-nos we mentioned above, then you’re just throwing money away. So get your site nice n’ trim and *then* you can run those ads and invest in keyword campaigns, social ads, whatever it may be. Those ads WILL turn into conversions if your website impresses.
0 Crimes: Okay hold on, did we design your website?? You’re killin’ it.
1 – 4 Crimes: Not bad, just a few small tweaks and you’re golden.
5 – 10 Crimes: We’re not gonna lie, you’ve got some work to do.
11 – 12 Crimes: 🤭We’ll just leave this here: Top Reasons You Need to Hire a Professional Company to Design Your Website
Want even more insights on how to make your website the best it can be? Check out our full video here!
INDIRAP is a full service video production, growth marketing and communications agency.
