Sometimes, it is easier to highlight what we don’t want in both life and business than to know what we do want.
When we can refine what we don’t want, something that will become apparent is what we should be doing and how we should be doing it.
While there is nothing to say you can’t have a website with a yellow background and a grey font – there are some reasons that it might not be the best for making sales.
Essentially your website is your online shop window, and what that means is visitors will make a snap decision about it – and then decide if they want to make a purchase or not.
When you work with a web design agency, you’re going to skip all of these mistakes – and in most cases, will have advice that can stop you from making bad decisions. However, if you’re building your website yourself, here are some things that you can avoid.
Information
You are excited to share every product you have on the main page, and you have a lot to say too. So you put a lot of images and big chunks of text on the main page. It’s chunky and difficult to read, not to mention that it’s hard to click on the individual images on mobile.
A nightmare for the user.
When you overload the page with information, it can be difficult for users to find what they need; the website can load slowly. You are looking for the right balance of information and images. Whether you are pitching for venture capital firms investing in the food industry or you are looking to sell electrical goods, it is imperative to make your information as clear as possible.
Navigation
Your navigation needs to make sense to the user. You need to split up all of your website text, images, and contact into pages or have a scrolling landing page that makes sense.
Each of the web pages you have should have a clear purpose – and add value to the user.
Navigation needs to feel intuitive to the user, with no dead links, and all of the navigation headers easy to read.
A search box can make it even easier for your users, and that is the goal.
Inconsistent
Using five different fonts, 12 colors, and a range of images from different sources will give an inconsistent feel. The website should feel like a complete entity. When placed next to your social media channels, printed materials, and others, it should also make sense – and feel like the same company.
Even the tone of voice you use for the content on the page should be consistent. Avoid inconsistency; if you need help with your branding, you can use a branding expert to help you neaten it up.
CTA
Tell people where to click and what they will get for doing it. A clear call to action is one of the most important things that you can have on your website.
Everything that you have on your website should be preparing customers for information exchange or purchase. Making your CTAs make sense and make an impact is essential.
If you don’t have any CTAs, you might be missing out on more sales than you’d like.
You can support your website in other ways, too; keeping local SEO in mind, here are some tips: The Complete Guide to Improving Local SEO for Your Business – A Happy Hippy Mom.
