10. You Hired Your Nephew
So he is a electronic wiz. He plays video games, accumulates 2,000 texts on his phone a month, knows how to use the remote for your entertainment system plus took a website class in high school. You've heard that he has created a website or two and see an opportunity to save a few bucks. Sure, you can hire him for dirt cheap, but that's about what you'll end up with for your website. A few hundred dollars later, you find that the website he created has done more damage than good. You find yourself taking your URL off your business cards, stationary and email signatures. Worst of all you're missing out on potential customers and profits.
9. You Outsourced Your Work
Isn't it just so tempting to hire a programmer or designer outside of the country? I once failed to listen to the advice of other professionals on a personal project of mine and paid dearly for it. If you think communication is important in business, be ready to try doing business with a major disadvantage if you choose to do a website this way. If you are lucky to find someone that does speak enough English so you can understand each other, be ready to make a lot of phone calls at midnight to carry on this communication. And finally, you'll learn like I have and many of my colleagues that you'll be promised professionalism and competency and receive neither. The many stories I have heard, mine included, these business arrangements typically end in legal threats and unsatisfactory or unfinished work.
8. You Purchased a Template and Did it Yourself.
Imagine finding out that someone decided to compete directly with your business. After a little bit of research you find that this competitor has no experience in your industry, has no relevant education and plans on putting little money and time in competing with your business. While you've received a related degree in your field, you've had years of experience doing what you do best and you have even excelled at it. Of course you have little reason to feel threatened by this newly learned competition. If you've decided build a website yourself and haven't succeeded online and haven't figured out why, bluntly speaking, look at your competition. When seasoned web designers and marketers are working on your competition's web presence, there is a reason why your losing valuable clients to them.
7. Your Website Design Sucks
If you think your website does not look professional or looks cheap, what does that say to your website visitors? Don't ever to expect your visitors to respect your business image more than you do. And in the marketing world, we know that image is everything.
6. You Have an Intro Page
There are many reasons why people choose to have a splash page and none have been effective thus far in doing so. Splash pages and intro animations end up just becoming an annoyance to your visitors, especially if they come to your website more than once.
5. You Only Have One Page.
Limiting the time your visitors spend on your site is one problem, but giving them no reason to come back is your other problem. The Internet is about Content, and if your website lacks in this regard, don't expect your website to amount to very much.
4. Your Site is Boring
If you can't catch your customers eye on any of you product, services or content, your website has no chance. There are hundreds of tactics to catch your visitors interest. For example listing benefits for your potential customers, and not features. Using catchy one liners to compel your visitors to learn more. Or giving your audience real life application. Just know that if you can't keep your audiences' attention, you lost them in a flash.
3. You thought a Web Designer Was Enough.
It doesn't matter how influential, beautiful or amazing your web design or development are if you have no way of getting people to your website. When budgeting out your website, make sure to appropriate sufficient funds to attract an audience to it. It is suggested that you budget enough to build your website, and hire a Internet Market to get targeted traffic to your site. You need both to succeed.
2. Your Website is Too Generic
This is why web templates can be a very dumb move. If your web design and content are generic and bland, you aren't portraying a well conceived and implemented brand image. Branding is about determining your companies persona. A well branded website builds trust with your visitors and shows competitive advantage. In short, differentiate yourself from your competitors or fail.
1. You Site is Not Based On Achieving Your Website Objectives.
Sometimes people get so caught up in making a website that they forget the whole reason why they made it in the first place. If you didn't make your website obvious and easy for your visitors to make profitable actions, you've made it that much harder for your website to succeed. Before any design and development, you must first make a plan of how and what your website needs so your website is productive and successful. When your visitors come to your site, it should be designed in such a way that promotes your visitors to specific and measurable action. Every aspect of your site should be helping to accomplish your predetermined objectives, because without keeping this end goal in mind your visitors won't fulfill those desired objectives. - 15432
So he is a electronic wiz. He plays video games, accumulates 2,000 texts on his phone a month, knows how to use the remote for your entertainment system plus took a website class in high school. You've heard that he has created a website or two and see an opportunity to save a few bucks. Sure, you can hire him for dirt cheap, but that's about what you'll end up with for your website. A few hundred dollars later, you find that the website he created has done more damage than good. You find yourself taking your URL off your business cards, stationary and email signatures. Worst of all you're missing out on potential customers and profits.
9. You Outsourced Your Work
Isn't it just so tempting to hire a programmer or designer outside of the country? I once failed to listen to the advice of other professionals on a personal project of mine and paid dearly for it. If you think communication is important in business, be ready to try doing business with a major disadvantage if you choose to do a website this way. If you are lucky to find someone that does speak enough English so you can understand each other, be ready to make a lot of phone calls at midnight to carry on this communication. And finally, you'll learn like I have and many of my colleagues that you'll be promised professionalism and competency and receive neither. The many stories I have heard, mine included, these business arrangements typically end in legal threats and unsatisfactory or unfinished work.
8. You Purchased a Template and Did it Yourself.
Imagine finding out that someone decided to compete directly with your business. After a little bit of research you find that this competitor has no experience in your industry, has no relevant education and plans on putting little money and time in competing with your business. While you've received a related degree in your field, you've had years of experience doing what you do best and you have even excelled at it. Of course you have little reason to feel threatened by this newly learned competition. If you've decided build a website yourself and haven't succeeded online and haven't figured out why, bluntly speaking, look at your competition. When seasoned web designers and marketers are working on your competition's web presence, there is a reason why your losing valuable clients to them.
7. Your Website Design Sucks
If you think your website does not look professional or looks cheap, what does that say to your website visitors? Don't ever to expect your visitors to respect your business image more than you do. And in the marketing world, we know that image is everything.
6. You Have an Intro Page
There are many reasons why people choose to have a splash page and none have been effective thus far in doing so. Splash pages and intro animations end up just becoming an annoyance to your visitors, especially if they come to your website more than once.
5. You Only Have One Page.
Limiting the time your visitors spend on your site is one problem, but giving them no reason to come back is your other problem. The Internet is about Content, and if your website lacks in this regard, don't expect your website to amount to very much.
4. Your Site is Boring
If you can't catch your customers eye on any of you product, services or content, your website has no chance. There are hundreds of tactics to catch your visitors interest. For example listing benefits for your potential customers, and not features. Using catchy one liners to compel your visitors to learn more. Or giving your audience real life application. Just know that if you can't keep your audiences' attention, you lost them in a flash.
3. You thought a Web Designer Was Enough.
It doesn't matter how influential, beautiful or amazing your web design or development are if you have no way of getting people to your website. When budgeting out your website, make sure to appropriate sufficient funds to attract an audience to it. It is suggested that you budget enough to build your website, and hire a Internet Market to get targeted traffic to your site. You need both to succeed.
2. Your Website is Too Generic
This is why web templates can be a very dumb move. If your web design and content are generic and bland, you aren't portraying a well conceived and implemented brand image. Branding is about determining your companies persona. A well branded website builds trust with your visitors and shows competitive advantage. In short, differentiate yourself from your competitors or fail.
1. You Site is Not Based On Achieving Your Website Objectives.
Sometimes people get so caught up in making a website that they forget the whole reason why they made it in the first place. If you didn't make your website obvious and easy for your visitors to make profitable actions, you've made it that much harder for your website to succeed. Before any design and development, you must first make a plan of how and what your website needs so your website is productive and successful. When your visitors come to your site, it should be designed in such a way that promotes your visitors to specific and measurable action. Every aspect of your site should be helping to accomplish your predetermined objectives, because without keeping this end goal in mind your visitors won't fulfill those desired objectives. - 15432
About the Author:
Author, Speaker and Expert Website Designer and Internet Marketer, Matthew Henage, is a leading expert in building successful websites. Henage is the CEO of Utah web design firm, Superior Design Inc., a leading website design company in the state of Utah.
