What's wrong with YOUR website?
Posted on 30th May 2019
Your website is the foundation of everything you do online. In fact, it sits right at the heart of your digital marketing strategy.
You could think of it as the hub of a wheel with the spokes radiating out from the centre representing your other online activities such as social media, email marketing, online advertising and Pay Per Click, blogging, SEO, and so on.
The whole idea of these ‘spokes’ is to ultimately draw people to your website so they can make a buying decision.
If your digital marketing strategy is working, your business should be ranking at least reasonably well on Google.
Getting to the first position on Google isn’t the be all and end all, but if your business is showing up on page 22 of Google, something’s gone wrong. In our experience, this usually means there are problems with your website and/or your approach to online activities.
Here are some of the most common issues we come across at it’seeze Web Design Nottingham:
Poor web design
If your site looks rubbish, people will click away in a heartbeat. Your web design needs to be up to date and accurately reflect the nature of your business. Interactive designs featuring appropriate use of imagery, video, and infographics will grab people’s attention, but the visual style still needs to be a good fit with your company type.
For example, take a law firm specialising in criminal defence. This is a serious subject, so a website full of cartoon images just won’t work. Look up some of your high-ranking competitors on Google and see how their websites are designed.
Content issues
This can be a tricky one to get right. Too little content and your Google rankings will suffer. Too much and the same could happen. In either case, prospects will be put off because they’re either not getting enough detail about your business or there’s information overload. It’s all about getting the balance right. Again, some competitor research will help.
Badly-written content is another problem as it creates a poor impression of your business. So, if you’re not a competent wordsmith, hire a copywriter to professionally draft or edit your content.
Bad website structure
If your site is hard to navigate, people will get frustrated and look elsewhere. Your site needs a clear structure with appropriate use of menus and internal links. Adding a site map is a good idea, especially if you have a lot of pages. The page name themselves also need to be accurate, so people know exactly what to expect from the content.
Slow site speed
Websites that are slow to load are another source of frustration. Site speed is now a ranking factor on Google, so it’s important that all the pages on your site load quickly. If some are slower than others, there could be issues you could fix, like reducing image sizes so they load faster. When checking your site speed, do this on a mobile device as well as a PC or laptop.
No SSL certificate
Having an SSL certificate means your URL will begin with https:// rather than http://. The site will have inbuilt security features that keep your customers’ data safe when they enter personal or financial details.
Not all websites need one, but it’s still beneficial to have one as Google looks at this as a ranking factor. it’seeze provides an SSL certificate as standard with all new websites. We can also retrofit them to existing sites.
Problems with SEO
The most common issue with search engine optimisation is not doing any! Just using keywords correctly in your content isn’t enough. An effective SEO strategy needs to include other activities such as regular blogging and updating of main page content, guest blogging, posting regular links from social media, email marketing, creating backlinks, remarketing, and online advertising.
Of course, you don’t need to do all these things. But the more you do, the higher your site is likely to rank in the search engines. Having said that, it’s not what you do – it’s how you do it. So, if you lack time, skill, or confidence in SEO, get some training or hire a digital marketing consultant. (it’seeze Nottingham will be pleased to help – ask us about our SEO Boost service!)
No use of analytics
Google Analytics is here for a reason: to help you understand who visits your site and what they do when they get there. There’s a wealth of information that can help you tweak and hone your website until you get the results you want.
So, if you’re not using it, sign up today and start analysing your site’s performance. Again, this is something a consultant can help with if you’re not sure what to do, or if you don’t have time.
Worried about your website? Ask for a FREE health check
We’re helpful types at it’seeze Nottingham, so we’ll be happy to carry out a free audit of your website and its performance. If we find some issues, there’s no obligation to proceed with our web design services, but we’d be delighted to demonstrate our unique website editor and provide a quote for building you a shiny new website.
To find out more and book your free website health check, call us on 0115 777 3001 or fill in our quick online enquiry form.
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