1&1 Internet Inc. recently conducted re-search proving that 53 percent of U.S. con-sumers become frustrated and stressed when they are forced to deal with unreliable websites. Additionally, a surprising 58 percent are unwilling to use that business in the future. Your business can avoid being associ-ated with such disappointment by limiting the amount of demanding content your site contains. ■ First tip Slow speed is a characteristic that people often consider to be a factor in their decision of working with a business. Flash video is one of the most common culprits of slow running sites. Restrict your site to one Flash video on a project or testimonial, for example. If you have additional videos that you wish to showcase, provide a link to a professional YouTube page. 2. Common website mistake two The second common mistake is ineffec-tive navigation. When potential customers visit your site, they want to find answers to their inquiries as fast as possible. If the information they are searching for is not clearly determined, the visitor will lose interest and altogether abandon the inquiry. Additionally, search engines rely heavily on the organization of a site when determin-ing your search engine ranking. A prominent ranking on search engine re-sult pages increases your visibility to poten-tial customers who otherwise may not know you exist. ■ Second tip Information such as essential facts and news about your business, professional skills and services offered should be easily accessible. Consider creating a designated webpage for each of these. As the most sought-after content, your contact information should be static on the navigation bar so it is available on every page. 3. Common website mistake three The third common mistake is distracting fonts and colors. Too often, business owners are misled to believe that using many different fonts and colors will generate interest from visitors. In fact, the exact opposite is true. The focus should remain on you and your business by keeping things simple and con-sistent throughout the site. Some do-it-yourself website design pack-ages come with industry-specific layouts to help set a foundation for your website. Because many professionals are unsure of what to include, the predetermined text, layouts and industry-specific content pro-vide a solid starting point for getting online. ■ Third tip Reading on a computer screen is more difficult than reading on paper, so keep your visitors in mind. Help them by using one font and limited colors to highlight important information while avoiding busy designs. They are looking to attain information as quickly as they can. Larger text should be used for headings that organize ideas and content. Additionally, bolded, underlined and itali-cized words or phrases are great for grabbing the attention of visitors when there needs to be an emphasis on something specific. 4. Common website mistake four The fourth common mistake is a lack of images or irrelevant images. Images are a great method to provide perspective customers with examples of your work so they can gain a better under-standing of your offerings. Consider images as a real-life represen-tation of your company; leverage them as a tool to represent professionalism and skills. ■ Fourth tip Add photo galleries of past projects to il-lustrate your capabilities to your customers and prospective clients. Before-and-after shots will also help com-municate your talent while allowing viewers to relate to your work. By omitting such relevant or attractive im-ages, you will miss the opportunity to draw customers and gain their interest. 5. Common website mistake five The fifth most common mistake is having outdated information. Contrary to what many business owners believe, maintaining a website is a constant-ly evolving project. Outdated contact information, promo-tions and services will lead the website visi-tor to think that your business may no longer be in existence. To prevent this perception, regularly man-age and update online content. ■ Fifth tip Announce your business’ new services and promotions by highlighting them in a way that is easy to locate and understand. Industry news and trend updates can help regularly create new content for the site, es-pecially if you comment and relate it to your offerings. You will increase the site’s regular visitors when you frequently publish new content. Having a web presence is an essential way to advocate for your business — at-tracting, informing and attaining a large amount of customers. However, without maintaining an effec-tive, up-to-date and professional website, businesses may be unintentionally sabotag-ing their online efforts. If you are subject to any of the aforemen-tioned mistakes, consider reevaluating your current online strategy in order to best rep-resent your business on the web. CM Product Information no. 202 on page 24 www.cmmonline.com 41
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