Avoid These Common Website DIY Mistakes: Tips for Building a Successful Website for Your Small Business

In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is essential for small businesses to attract customers, showcase their products or services, and drive growth. Building a website is often the first step in establishing an online presence, but many small business owners make common mistakes that can hinder the effectiveness of their websites. In this guide, we’ll highlight some of these pitfalls and provide tips for building a successful website that helps your business stand out in the digital landscape.

1. Opting for an “All Inclusive” Website Package

Many companies that sell website related services, such as website domains, will often sell all inclusive website packages that seem just a little too good to be true – because they are. There are a few common problems we often see with these packages:

a.) Limited web page builders, limited scalability, and limited data tracking

The companies that design these packages assume that business owners cannot be trusted with any power over their website except for changing text and images. For some exceptionally non-techy people, that is accurate, but it creates a lot of problems for customizing the design of the website, and for scalability as the business starts to gain success and momentum. When a small business finally builds enough funds to start advertising online, they discover they can’t set up analytics tracking can’t because these packages don’t give users code level access.

Unfortunately, this often forces small businesses to invest in rebuilding their website sooner than they initially hoped so they can make content or design changes, or start advertising.

b.) Not Truly All Inclusive – And Extortion for What They Don’t Include

We’ve had several clients who opted for one of the “All Inclusive” Packages with a  famous domain registrar company, only to discover that the package didn’t include SSL certificate, and the only way to add the certificate was to buy it from them for one hundred dollars. This is maddening because you can generally get an SSL for free and  easily install it yourself! Regardless, this company restricted user access to prevent website owners from being able to install a free SSL to extort them into buying it from them. We hate seeing it happen, but we see it happen pretty often.

c.) Small businesses often overpay for them

There are many variables that impact the cost of a website, which can feel overwhelming to manage and mitigate if you’re not familiar. By offering a fixed price, “All in One” packages appeal to the naive by making their offer simple. However, that bundled package is often built on a really overpriced domain or SSL certificate. An experienced web designer will walk you through the best ways to save on domain registrations by buying them at wholesale rates, and ensure your SSL is free.

2. Ignoring Mobile Responsiveness

With the majority of internet traffic coming from mobile devices, it’s essential to ensure that your website is mobile-responsive. Many small business owners make the mistake of designing their websites solely for desktop users, neglecting the mobile user experience. A mobile-responsive website adjusts its layout and content to provide an optimal viewing experience across various screen sizes and devices, ensuring that visitors can easily navigate your site on smartphones and tablets.

3. Poor Navigation and Organization

A well-organized and easy-to-navigate website is key to keeping visitors engaged and guiding them toward important information or actions, such as making a purchase or contacting your business. Avoid the mistake of cluttering your website with excessive text, images, or navigation menus that overwhelm visitors and make it difficult for them to find what they’re looking for. Instead, focus on clear navigation, logical page hierarchy, and concise content that guides visitors smoothly through your site.

4. Lack of Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)

Every page on your website should have a clear and compelling call-to-action (CTA) that prompts visitors to take the next step, whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or contacting your business. This is part of something called Conversion Rate Optimization (or CRO), which essentially is website design with the goal of making you money by inspiring your clients to convert.

Many small business websites make the mistake of failing to include strong CTAs or burying them in obscure locations. Make your CTAs stand out with clear messaging, contrasting colors, and prominent placement to encourage visitor engagement and conversions.

5. Neglecting SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential for ensuring that potential customers can find your business online. What is the point of having a website if no one can find it?

Many small business owners make the mistake of neglecting SEO during the initial design of their website, and not including enough content on their site for search engines to understand their business and rank it accordingly. As a result, many small businesses retroactively try to add/change content and insert keywords to improve their search results, which often works, but it also can create conflicts with the initial design and lead to huge, chunky blocks of text which can negatively impact CRO.

6. Website DIY Design and Development

While DIY website builders and templates may seem like a cost-effective solution for small businesses, they often result in generic, amateurish websites that fail to impress visitors or effectively represent your brand. Avoid the mistake of DIY design and development by investing in professional web design services that can create a custom website tailored to your business goals, branding, and target audience. A professionally designed website not only looks better but also performs better in terms of user experience, functionality, and conversion rates.

Conclusion

Building a successful website for your small business requires careful planning, attention to detail, and a focus on user experience and optimization. By avoiding common mistakes by working with a professional, you can have a website that effectively showcases your business, attracts customers, and drives growth. Ready to take your online presence to the next level? Contact iPoint Technologies today to learn more about our professional web design services and how we can help your small business succeed online.