1. People can’t tell what service/product I’m selling
You know your business inside out. But if someone new to your world arrives at your website can they tell who you are, who you serve, how you serve them, and what makes you special? All within a few seconds?
The layout and hierarchy of content on your site is crucial to ensure that people understand your business within seconds of arriving at your site.
Make sure the top of your page includes a powerful heading, subheading, image, and call to action before diving into the rest of your content. Everything should be easy to scan quickly (make use of short and descriptive headings and subheadings) so that people can quickly find the information they are looking for, when trying to fill in the gaps about whether or not your product or service is a fit for them.
2. It’s not easy for people to buy my service/product
It’s common to include a lot of information on a website because we want to make sure people have everything they need answered before they buy. But if it isn’t easy to take that next step and make the sale, people will leave your site and look elsewhere.
Make sure your call to actions are clear and placed throughout your website. On content heavy pages you should have your call to action (a strong heading and a button) sprinkled throughout, so that people are not looking for it when it is time to buy.
When deciding on a call to action make sure you are thinking about your current goals. If there is something specific you want people to do when they arrive at your website, that should be the call to action. Don’t confuse people with too many options for their next step in the customer journey.
3. My page takes too long to load
People are not going to sit around waiting for a slow page to load. If you think things may be loading slowly, chances are your audience feels the same way.
Use a page speed checking tool to see how long pages are taking to load and what the biggest culprit is.
Usually the easiest fix is to make sure your images are compressed for the web. Go easy on the animations and use of video too if things are slow to load. You can also check that you are not running unnecessary plugins on your site (a common problem if you are using an out-of-the-box website theme that has a lot of features, that you may not be using).
4. Trust is eroding with inconsistencies and an unprofessional site
If your site looks like it was thrown together quickly on your own, if it is full of inconsistencies, or feels like it is all over the place, that is going to come across to your audience. A professional site is crucial for building trust if your website is one of the first interactions with a potential client.
Check for common inconsistencies like spacing (are the margins the same throughout the site), colours (are your brand colours used throughout), and imagery (are you using brand photos, stock photos, AI generated images – and do these look cohesive).
5. I’m frustrated about spending time updating my website when I would rather be doing other things in my business
The concern we hear the most often is that people just don’t want to work on their website. It’s a huge drain on their energy if it’s not something they enjoy, and it takes time away from all the other things that a small business owner could be working on. The result is a website that is passable but not great, and hours wasted that could have been spent elsewhere. Hiring a professional can save tons of time and frustrations. A professional site that lasts 5+ years can end up costing you only $5/day.
Any other questions on your mind about websites? Email us and let us know.
