I was so proud before launching my website. I spent months perfecting it. At least, I thought it was perfect.

The feedback was not what I expected:

• I didn’t attract much traffic
• My friends didn’t comment on how amazing it was
• My sales didn’t spike

No, I didn’t use a professional designer. With the many tools available today it’s not really necessary, right? But I made these few—very—important mistakes.

Are you making the same mistakes?

You Keep Important Information Hidden

Why do you browse online? I probably visit at least 10 websites a day simply to help me with my daily tasks. Most of the time I’m looking for contact details, addresses and operating hours. If I want to visit a restaurant I need to know where to go and when I can go.

If I can’t find the information, I simply look for another one.

How would your website fare in this test?

Many websites hide their basic information in small print or on an obscure page. If your potential customers can’t find what they’re looking for instantly, they’ll move on to your competitor.

You Tell Them How Great You Are Instead of How Different

While I’m browsing websites I often notice how many businesses of the same kind exist. And which one will I pick?

Research shows consumers aren’t interested in your marketing jargon about how good you are at the service you offer. They want to know what makes you different from the rest.

People want to be part of something special. If your website shows you’re unique they’ll feel honored sharing in that special feature. And they’ll probably tell their friends about how excited they are about it too.

Does your website simply list benefits or do you mention that one thing that sets you apart?

Pages Are Broken

And what if people are interested enough and start browsing through your site? How certain are you that they’ll land on the correct page each time.

A common feature is “Error 404” displayed across the page. It means you created a link but it doesn’t take the browser anywhere.

You just did two things:

• You ruined your reputation because it’s unprofessional.
• You lost a client because the browser will navigate to a website they can trust to provide information

This usually happens when:

• A new website hasn’t been tested properly.
• An old website has been changed. Someone forgot to cancel links.

There’s no shortcut for this challenge. You need employees or your IT department to physically test each link on your website.

There’s No Online Integration

My business has an amazing online following. For years I hosted a successful Facebook page. The success prompted me to start an eCommerce website.

But I never linked the two.

You want increased website traffic, right?

Neglecting to integrate different online components limits your impact. Your best marketing area is on social media. But if you don’t add links to your website it won’t result in online sales.

People also rate your value by how many followers you have. Some customers only visit your website. Why not prompt them to follow you on:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Your blog

You improve your online status and now these visitors will receive all your social media posts.

I still can’t believe I didn’t use all these tools that were at my disposal.

Websites Have Poor Quality Content

Do you have what your audience wants? Your content can’t be about what you think customers want. You have to know what they find relevant.

This requires some market research. Then you must provide the information in a quality format:

• Any text must be written well. Search engine algorithms pick up on low quality writing and will lower your rating.
• Use high quality images. If people see pixelated photographs they assume your company doesn’t care about delivering quality goods.
• These days a video is the best medium to impress your audience. And Google knows it too. If your website contains what consumers want Google will improve your rating.
• Link building is key in building the overall credibility of your website and increasing the traffic you gain for search engines. Low quality content will make it difficult, if not impossible to run a successful link building project. If you plan to work with a blog outreach company, make sure your content is high quality to get the very best results.

Do you impress people and algorithms yet?

Websites Aren’t Mobile Friendly

You probably imagine your website being viewed on a large monitor. The reality is your audience uses Smartphones too:

• For lower income citizens Smartphones are becoming the preferred access points to the internet.
• 46% of consumers view Smartphones as essential to their lives.
• Mobile devices are used more for social media and information while desktops & tablets are used for purchasing.

These statistics prove you can’t ignore any type of device. If your website isn’t responsive—doesn’t adjust to all device screen sizes—you’ll lose customers.

I’m surprised these days to find a website I can’t view properly on my Smartphone. Will I be able to view yours?

Websites Have Lag

Do you hate waiting in line as much as I do? That’s probably why you’re doing shopping online these days.

But if your online customers have to wait for your page to load it’s the same as waiting in a queue. Some will get frustrated and leave. It’s your responsibility to ensure your site is hosted on servers that load it fast and can handle high traffic volumes.

There Are No Calls to Action

You don’t want people browsing through your store without buying anything, right? If you were in a physical store you will ask them if they needed assistance.

You have the same power online. Create calls to action on every page:

• Competition entries
• Purchases
• Online reviews
• Subscribe to a newsletter

People want to relate with you online, but you have to take the first step. Initiate interaction so you can start online relationships and turn them into loyal customers. That is the final goal of everything you do on your website.