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.
By every right you are the leading expert of your business. You figure, "why spend money when I am the best qualified to present the business to my clients?" So you find a neat looking template and try to build the site yourself. In all honesty, there is truth behind the premise, but your execution was your failure. A good designer will know how to leverage you as the expert of your business in creating an effective design. Websites just seem so simple, but there are entire degrees in college, volumes of books and other reading materials, plus years of application that are needed to make something so simple to be so effective. Look at the ingenuity of Apple Computers, there is a reason why so few people have been able to match their prowess of simple design.
7. Your Website Looks Like it was Made in the 80's or 90's (or it was)
If your website looks junky, how do you think your visitors think about your products, services or business. Invest in your business image, or you'll see that you'll fail fast.
6. The First Page on Your Website Says, "Click to Enter"
Even if you think your splash page looks "cool", your providing little to no benefit to your visitors. Our studies have shown that websites with Intro or Splash Pages lose a multiple of visitors than if they didn't have Splash Page.
5. Your Website contains little to know content.
Limiting the content on your site is a very ignorant maneuver. There are so many opportunities your website can take advantage of, but without content virtually none of it is possible. Content is king, build it and they will come.
4. Your Site is Boring
If your site can't create interest in your product or services, your website will lose to the competition. Focus your attention on benefits, not features. Create page titles that make your audience want to learn more. Show how the application of your product or service will change your audiences' lives in some positive way. Design some sort of mystery that needs investigating on your site. Build your customers interest or fail.
3. You thought a Web Designer Was Enough.
Whats the problem with this picture: You build a state of the art sports arena, its beautiful, has many sought out commodities and was built in Antarctica. You may ask, "What's the point of a sports arena if you aren't going to have anyone use it?" A silly scenario, but a common pitfall for many websites out on the Internet, because they are or have a professionally made website with no budget for marketing. When budgeting out your website, make sure to appropriate sufficient funds to attract an audience to it. Use the following flexible rule of thumb for a website budget: a quarter of your budget for design and branding, a quarter for development, a quarter for public relations and SEO, and a quarter for advertising.
2. Your Website is Too Broad
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. - 17943
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.
By every right you are the leading expert of your business. You figure, "why spend money when I am the best qualified to present the business to my clients?" So you find a neat looking template and try to build the site yourself. In all honesty, there is truth behind the premise, but your execution was your failure. A good designer will know how to leverage you as the expert of your business in creating an effective design. Websites just seem so simple, but there are entire degrees in college, volumes of books and other reading materials, plus years of application that are needed to make something so simple to be so effective. Look at the ingenuity of Apple Computers, there is a reason why so few people have been able to match their prowess of simple design.
7. Your Website Looks Like it was Made in the 80's or 90's (or it was)
If your website looks junky, how do you think your visitors think about your products, services or business. Invest in your business image, or you'll see that you'll fail fast.
6. The First Page on Your Website Says, "Click to Enter"
Even if you think your splash page looks "cool", your providing little to no benefit to your visitors. Our studies have shown that websites with Intro or Splash Pages lose a multiple of visitors than if they didn't have Splash Page.
5. Your Website contains little to know content.
Limiting the content on your site is a very ignorant maneuver. There are so many opportunities your website can take advantage of, but without content virtually none of it is possible. Content is king, build it and they will come.
4. Your Site is Boring
If your site can't create interest in your product or services, your website will lose to the competition. Focus your attention on benefits, not features. Create page titles that make your audience want to learn more. Show how the application of your product or service will change your audiences' lives in some positive way. Design some sort of mystery that needs investigating on your site. Build your customers interest or fail.
3. You thought a Web Designer Was Enough.
Whats the problem with this picture: You build a state of the art sports arena, its beautiful, has many sought out commodities and was built in Antarctica. You may ask, "What's the point of a sports arena if you aren't going to have anyone use it?" A silly scenario, but a common pitfall for many websites out on the Internet, because they are or have a professionally made website with no budget for marketing. When budgeting out your website, make sure to appropriate sufficient funds to attract an audience to it. Use the following flexible rule of thumb for a website budget: a quarter of your budget for design and branding, a quarter for development, a quarter for public relations and SEO, and a quarter for advertising.
2. Your Website is Too Broad
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. - 17943
About the Author:
Writer, Speaker and Expert Web Designer and Internet Marketer, Matthew Henage, is a leading expert in building successful websites. Henage is the CEO of Utah website design firm, Superior Design Inc., a premier website design company in the state of Utah.
