Businesses spend big bucks on website design or redesign that attracts customers and impresses potential clients. But in the effort to make a website stand out, businesses may make missteps that scare off the very customers they’re trying to reach. Here are a few great major things to avoid if you want to ensure visitors click past your main page to the rest of your site.
Don’t Over Complicate Things
As nice as image sliders and flash animations are, all that glitz is meaningless if your visitors can’t find the information they need. With many users accessing sites via mobile devices these days, it’s imperative that your site display on small screens, using technology that works across every possible platform.
Don’t Require Downloads
If your site requires someone to download a plug-in to view it, you’ve likely already lost visitors. Check your homepage across a variety of browsers and devices to ensure compatibility. Sites like BrowserShots and DebugBar can help with your browser checks but to ensure your site is mobile-friendly, you’ll need sites like W3C mobileOK Checker.
Don’t Display Outdated Content
This is especially important on your main page. If the first item visitors see is a blog from 2009, they may see your site as outdated and assume it isn’t a valid source of current information. It’s important to keep your homepage as current as possible so if you plan to include news or links to articles, be sure you’ll able to consistently update it over the coming years.
One of the best ways to ensure your website is appealing to visitors is to put yourself in your visitors’ shoes. Why are they visiting your page? Are they able to easily find the information they’re likely to need? Like every other part of your business, your website should speak to your audience.
