Business  —  Web Design

The 7 Most Common Website Mistakes That Cause Businesses to Fail

Don’t let your business website hold you back. Discover the seven critical mistakes that can undermine your business. Gain valuable insights and strategies to correct these errors and transform your online presence into a powerful growth tool.

Margaux Ong
Margaux OngOctober 31, 2024

Why Your Website Matters

A business’s website often serves as its first impression. It’s the backbone of any great business and it is a powerful tool that can attract visitors, generate leads, and build customer loyalty. However, when done incorrectly it can drive customers away leading to the business’s downfall. 

That is why, we curated a list of 7 common business website mistakes that can cause businesses to fail and how to avoid them. 

  1. Neglecting User Experience (UX)
  2. Lack of Mobile Optimisation
  3. Ignoring SEO Best Practices 
  4. Inadequate Content Quality 
  5. Poor Call-to-Actions
  6. Overlooking Analytics and Data
  7. Failing to Keep Content Updated 

 1. Neglecting User Experience (UX)

User experience is crucial in keeping visitors engaged and encouraging them to return. A cluttered layout, confusing navigation, and slow loading times can frustrate users and lead to high bounce rates from your business website. 

“53% of customers abandon a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.”

Think with Google

Solution: Prioritise a clean and intuitive design and understand the “3 second rule”

This rule simply means you have 3 seconds to capture your audience’s attentionTo do this, ensure that navigation is straightforward, with clear labels and logical pathways. Optimise images and other media to enhance loading speed.

Regularly testing your business website’s performance is equally important.  Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to analyse how your site performs and where improvements can be made. Gathering user feedback is another valuable resource—what may seem clear to you could be confusing to someone else. Make adjustments based on real user experiences to continuously improve your site’s functionality and design.

2. Lack of Mobile Optimisation

With over 50% of global web traffic coming from mobile devices, having a mobile-friendly website is no longer optional. A site that isn’t optimised for mobile can lead to a frustrating experience, causing visitors to leave.

Solution: Start by testing your business website on a wide range of devices and screen sizes

This will help you identify potential issues such as unreadable text, inaccessible buttons, or misaligned images. Pay special attention to how your site’s navigation adapts, as menus that work well on a desktop may need to be simplified for smaller screens.

Beyond visuals, ensure that interactive elements like forms, buttons, and links are optimized for touchscreens. Buttons should be large enough to tap easily, and text should resize fluidly without the need for zooming or horizontal scrolling. Similarly, images need to be responsive, scaling down while maintaining quality and fast loading times across all devices.

Lastly, don’t forget to test your site in both portrait and landscape modes, as this can affect layout and user experience. Regularly monitoring performance across various devices and resolutions will allow you to spot any issues quickly and make necessary adjustments, ensuring that every visitor has a seamless experience, regardless of how they access your website.

 3. Ignoring SEO Best Practices

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is essential for increasing visibility on search engines. Many businesses fail to implement basic SEO practices, resulting in low organic traffic. This oversight can severely impact lead generation and conversions.

Solution: Conducting keyword research is essential to understanding what potential customers are searching for

Tools like Semrush  can help you identify relevant terms that align with your business. Once you have these keywords, optimise your site’s content by integrating them naturally into meta titles, descriptions, headers, and image alt texts. This improves your business website’s visibility on search engines and ensures your content is aligned with user intent. 

In addition to keyword optimisation, focus on creating high-quality, valuable content that addresses your audience’s specific needs or pain points. Content that is informative and engaging not only attracts visitors but also encourages them to stay longer.

To further enhance your SEO strategy, check out our blog post on SEO mistakes to avoid so you can steer clear of common pitfalls that could undermine your efforts.

4. Inadequate Content Quality

Content is king, and providing valuable, engaging content is vital for capturing and retaining visitors. Business websites that lack high-quality content may fail to engage users, resulting in missed opportunities for conversions and customer relationships.

Solution: Invest in well-written and informative content that speaks to your target audience’s interests and pain points.

Regularly update your blog or news section to keep content fresh and relevant. Incorporate various formats, such as videos, infographics, and podcasts, to cater to different preferences and enhance user engagement.

Additionally, investing in a professional agency can significantly elevate the quality of your content. A specialised agency can provide expertise in crafting compelling narratives, optimising for SEO, and ensuring that your content resonates with your audience. With their support, you can streamline your content strategy and maintain a consistent publishing schedule, ultimately driving greater engagement and success for your brand.

5. Poor Call-to-Actions (CTAs)

A website without clear and compelling calls-to-action can leave visitors lost. Without effective CTAs, you may miss out on leads and conversions, which can directly impact your bottom line.

Solution: Designing clear and actionable calls-to-action (CTAs) is crucial for guiding users towards the next steps on your website

Ensure that your CTAs are visually distinct from the rest of the content, using contrasting colours and prominent placement to draw attention. The language you use should be persuasive and compelling, encouraging users to take action—whether that’s signing up for a newsletter, downloading a resource, or making a purchase.

6. Overlooking Analytics and Data

Many businesses create a website and then neglect to analyse its performance. Without tracking metrics like traffic, bounce rates, and conversion rates, it’s challenging to understand what’s working and what needs improvement.

Solution: Setting up web analytics tools is crucial for monitoring your site’s performance effectively

Popular options include  Fathom or Google Analytics , which provide comprehensive insights into user behaviour, traffic sources, and engagement metrics. Regularly reviewing this data allows you to identify trends and pinpoint areas for improvement.

By analysing user interactions, you can make data-driven decisions that enhance user experience and drive conversions. For instance, you might discover that certain pages have high bounce rates or that specific content types are more engaging. Armed with this information, you can optimise your website, adjust your content strategy, and ultimately create a more compelling and effective online presence.

 7. Failing to Keep Content Updated

A stagnant website can signal to visitors that a business is not active or engaged. Regularly updated content is crucial for maintaining user interest and improving SEO rankings. 

Solution: Establish a content calendar to plan and schedule regular updates.

Review existing content periodically to ensure it remains relevant and accurate. Consider adding new blog posts, updating product descriptions, or featuring customer testimonials to keep your site dynamic and engaging. 

Diversifying your content formats—such as incorporating videos, infographics, and podcasts—can also help engage a broader audience, catering to different preferences. To streamline this process, use a free content calendar to plan and organise your updates. This will help you stay consistent, ensuring that your content remains timely and well-coordinated across all platforms, which can lead to higher user engagement and loyalty.

The Bottom Line

Avoiding these common business website mistakes is essential for ensuring your business’s online success. By prioritising user experience, optimising for mobile, implementing SEO best practices, providing high-quality content, creating effective CTAs, utilising analytics, and keeping your content updated, you can create a powerful online presence that attracts and retains customers.

How do I do all of this?

Remember, your website is often the first touchpoint for potential clients. Investing the time and resources necessary to make it a valuable asset for your business is crucial. However, all of these solutions can be overwhelming and sometimes difficult to understand without practice or experience.

Here at Strong Digital, we make it easy for you! With our team of expert web designers, we’re dedicated to ensuring your business’s digital success. Check out our care plans here .