7 website danger signs you need to recognize

Build it and they will come

Hey, it worked for novice farmer Ray Kinsella in the movie, Field of Dreams, right? He heard that whisper, plowed up his corn field and built a baseball diamond. And who should show up but Shoeless Joe Jackson and, eventually, other banned players from the disgraced 1919 Black Sox team?

Everyone knew this entertaining film was a fantasy, but the real world has its own version of this fantasy: Build a website and customers will come.

I’ve developed about a half-dozen websites in the last two years and if there is one abiding belief among virtually all of my clients, it is that simply by having a website, the company will get noticed, people will flock to it and revenues will shoot through the roof.

In two weeks. Three, at the outside.

This type of fantastical thinking leads to massive disappointment. Yes, it takes time to look on sites like 28msec to find the right host for your site. And yes, the designing process can be a long tedious one. And yes, in the long run having a website will be beneficial in the long-run. But expecting a website to bring in more business immediately is like saying you’re going on a diet and expecting the pounds to melt away with absolutely no effort. It. Just. Will. Not. Happen. Some people take advantage of a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaign to promote their website to increase traffic but it doesn’t happen over night similar to what Ram PPC can provide. But I digress.

Yes, you must have a website. This is how your business gets found in this increasingly Internet age – even if you have a mom ‘n’ pop establishment that relies solely on local customers. This is how people find out when you’re open, what your phone number is, what products and services you offer. If you are working on improving the traffic for your website, you may find at times that some pages take a while to load. A lot of people have experienced this. Saying this though, it may be best to check out a site like Apica Systems to get a better understanding of how you can use loading testing solutions as a way of speeding up your website.

(If you’re relying on the phone book, understand that phone books are nearly obsolete – MSN reports that 70% rarely use the paper version and 60% look for this information online.)

Why your website traffic is so bad

But there are several dangers that go along with having a website that you ignore at your peril. Here are some reasons why your website traffic is so bad.

1. Forgetting it. If you put up a website and then let it sit there, you can damage your business and your reputation. Why? Outdated information – especially the vital stuff like phone numbers and email addresses – will label you as someone who simply does not care. And if you don’t care about your own website, will you care about your customers?
2. Expecting miracles, overnight or otherwise. It takes time to see results, even assuming you’ve done everything just right (and few people do) – just like going on a diet.
3. Knowing what your customers want. Too many business owners focus on process, not results. People don’t really care how you fix their problems; they just want the results.
4. Knowing what your customers are looking for. These days, people use what is known as long-tailed keywords when searching on the Internet (and 87% of people on the Internet use it for research before they buy). Why do you think the Google search bar is so long? It’s because people are not searching for “health,” they are searching for “what is the best way to improve my health.” If your site does not contain the keywords that people are looking for, you’re just lost in the pixels.
5. Offering only the sale. Yeah, you want people to buy from you. But why should they? Do you offer them anything else on your website? News they can use? Product reviews? How-to tips and tricks? Anything at all that tells your prospects, “Hey, these people really know their stuff! They are definitely going on the top of my list”?
6. Failing to promote it. There are many to promote your website and they all take time or money. If you cannot afford to invest your dollars, you will have to invest your time. Don’t forget – your time has value, too, so is it ultimately cheaper to outsource this or do it yourself?

You promote your website by being active on social media (73% of all Internet users use at least one social media platform site.) You consistently add to and update your website through a blog that provides engaging, useful content. You advertise – putting it on your business card, stationery, social media profiles, email signature, print and online ads and anywhere else it makes sense.

7. Misunderstanding the market for your product. If you have a retail store, restaurant or hotel, your website is a lot more likely to bring in customers quickly than if you are selling air conditioning units or pools. Not only is there a huge price differential, but people just don’t purchase whole-house air conditioners or kidney-shaped pools with the same frequency as a weekend getaway or a pair of shoes. The sales you get will be higher dollar, but you’ll have fewer of them.

So go ahead – build it. They will come if you make the effort to get them there. Do you already have a website that you would like to make a few changes to? Or perhaps you feel your online presence needs a complete overhaul? Check out this useful guide to website makeover vs website redesign for some further website inspiration.

What’s the biggest issue you have with your website? I’d love to hear in the comments section.