How can anyone forget how back in the ’00s, website design was limited to a plain and structured design that looked more like a digitised sales information pack than the storytelling and interactive websites that we see today. Regardless of how big or small your company is, a content-filled, visual and user optimised website is what will get your users to pay attention to your content and engage.
Irrelevant content will eventually fail to send the desired messages to current or potential customers when those are not carefully considered. Your website is the best medium to deliver these messages. If your website is poorly designed, not easy to navigate and content deprived, it will lead the users who landed onto your site looking for specific solutions, to search elsewhere. If you don’t care about what your site looks like, how your business is represented or how to simplify navigation for potential customers to find you, then you are sending a very confusing message that will reflect poorly on your company.
Therefore by ensuring that your content is easy to understand and placed correctly, you will venture toward the path of digital marketing success.
“46% of people say a website’s design is the number one criterion for discerning the credibility of a company.”
Source: Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab
So, what are some of the common mistakes companies make with their websites?
Their website is not mobile friendly
According to Statista, in 2018, 52.2% of all website traffic worldwide was generated through mobile phones. The reasoning behind this statistic is attributed to people spending more time on their smartphones searching for information while on the go. So, optimising your website to be mobile friendly is paramount if you want your content to be noticed.
“48% of users say that if they arrive on a business site that isn’t working well on mobile, they take it as an indication of the business simply not caring.”
Source: MarginMedia
The website design does not follow content structure
Indeed, a well designed website encourages interest and interaction with the content. However, many times, we see websites that are chock-full of content that lacks structure and purpose. What’s the intention of including content in your website? Do you want to create an educational website packed with information the users can educate themselves with, or are you taking the storytelling approach to raising awareness on solutions or products your business has on offer?
Before you start designing your website, consider what type of content you want to share and what is its purpose. It will save you precious time and budgeting in the future as you continue to harvest your content.
It’s not Search Engine Optimised
Organic SEO (search engine optimisation) strategies should be an integral part of your digital marketing efforts in getting new visitors to your website. Without good SEO, regardless of how show-stopping your website design may be, you will not attract more traffic to your site and get more opportunities to convert leads. A website built around conversion optimisation typically has better metrics; thus, it enters Google’s good graces and ranks higher.
“Marketers see SEO as becoming more effective, with 82% reporting effectiveness is on the rise and 42% of this group stating effectiveness is increasing significantly.”
Source: MarketDive, 2016
Not using the right Content Management System (CMS)
By choosing the right CMS it allows you to create, edit, manage and maintain your website pages using a single interface. These content management systems streamline web design and content publishing to ensure that both your page and workflow are streamlined. These systems are fundamental for B2B companies that require regular content updates, precise user targeting, simplified workflow, no knowledge of HTML, CSS or JavaScript, search engine optimisation and keeps your website looking well-organised, well-planned and fresh.
To choose the right CMS for your company can be overwhelming, but to make this decision easier, you must first set your digital marketing goals, decide on how much content you will create and what the purpose of this content is. This process doesn’t have to be daunting.
Your website is your company’s digital ambassador; not only does it allow you to build credibility, but it helps you stand out from the competition. In today’s highly competitive market, defined by authority and popularity, you certainly want to stay ahead of your competition.
If you need help with the design of your website supported by a fully-customisable CMS that optimizes your site for the search engines and is easy to navigate, look no further.
To learn more about us, visit our website and find out how we can help www.strg.at.
Written by Nathalie Rogers
- Call STRG's CEO Jürgen, or write a mail juergen.schmidt@strg.at Mobile: +43 699 1 7777 165
