Five Reasons Your Website Will Fail
Although the Web has been inexistence for nearly 20 years, many small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) still have a limited and ineffective online and digital presence. Whether we like it or not, the Internet has become the default research tool for products and services, far outstripping all hardcopy alternatives.
Many SMEs are missing out on digital commerce opportunities due to deficiencies in key online and mobile presence features and functionality.
We've outlined below our keys thoughts into why SMEs are failing online.
1. Websites are not built correctly
93% of SME websites are not mobile-compatible and will not render successfully on mobile devices, including smartphones.
As the rate at which users are accessing information via portable devices increases, and decreases on desktops, ensuring your website is optimised for the smaller screens of tablets and smartphones is critically important. People will often be looking to access your site on the go, and ensuring your website is mobile compatible will help introduce your business to the rapidly growing mobile market.
2. Lack of contact methods
74% of websites lack an easy to find email link for consumers to contact the business.
65% of websites lack a contact form to enable consumers to request information.
60% of websites have no phone number listed.
A well designed website should have multiple methods of communication for customers to either get in touch, or request further information. Email and contact forms are very convenient and allow customers to ask questions, or propose business partnership opportunities. Phone calls may not always be welcomed by some businesses, but it makes customers feel comfortable, while not listing a phone number can cause questions of legitimacy.
3. SEO (search engine optimisation)
56% of SME websites have no keyword information for search engines to rank your site.
If you have a website and no one can find it, then it might as well not exist. A significant amount of your traffic will be the result of consumers' finding it through search engines. Keyword research and creation, on-site optimisation, and off-site link building are all necessary elements for driving traffic to your website. Those tactics will help make your site search engine-friendly and improve your ranking, allowing your business to gain needed exposure.
4. Social Media
80% of SME websites have no social media links such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, etc.
If you're ever questioning your business's lack of fans or followers, you probably haven't connected your social media accounts to your website which is potentially your biggest source of traffic to your social presence. Social marketing can be a powerful tool, but not if there's no audience to engage with.
5. Content management systems
Updating a website should be a central part of a digital marketing plan, but many businesses fail to implement this from one year to the next. This is often due to the fact their content management system (CMS) is not user friendly. We have experienced clients being sold WordPress as a CMS, mainly from a cost perspective and then realising its numerous shortcomings and having to start the whole process again, incurring additional costs. WordPress is an excellent blogging tool and many web designers suggest it as a general CMS due them not having a bespoke offering.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information about how we can help with your website design, SEO and digital marketing.
