You work hard on SEO and spend money on PPC advertising to drive people to your website, but if your site looks amateurish or dated, it could be costing you customers. Here are five reasons your website could be costing you sales.
- It's not secure. With even huge chains like Home Depot and Target facing security breaches, your small business website is more at risk than you may think. Cyber criminals actually prefer to target small businesses, because these companies rarely have strong security policies in place. Even if you don't actually sell anything on your website, your customers' personal data, such as names, addresses and email addresses, could be at risk if they fill out forms or sign up for newsletters on your site. If you do own an e-commerce site, the risks are even greater, with customers’ financial information vulnerable to theft. What do you think will happen if a customer faces identity theft or financial loss as a result of your website? They probably won't do business with you again. Getting help from website development experts can keep your site up-to-date with the latest security precautions.
- It doesn't look professional. Maybe Craigslist can find success with the same circa-2003 look and feel, but small business websites don't have the same luxury. If your website design hasn't kept up with the times, you'll come off as very mom-and-pop, and visitors will feel less confident doing business with you. The pace of technological change is speeding up every year, and that includes website design. Depending on your industry, your website could need a design makeover as often as once per year. Working with a website design expert will keep you on top of the latest trends so your site looks big-time, not smalltime.
- It's not mobile-friendly. Once upon a time, it was OK to have one desktop version of your website and a separate mobile version for smartphone and tablet users. Those days are long gone. If mobile users have to click on tiny buttons, scroll endlessly or pinch and enlarge your website text to get anything done, they won’t stick around. If you want visitors to actually do business with you, get expert help designing a mobile-friendly site.
- It's not functional. DIY drag-and-drop tools have made it easier to create websites that look great on the surface — but that's not always enough. When you get help from website design experts, they can guide you in the best way to lay out your site, how to design its navigation, and the best ways to get customers to do what you want them to do.
- It looks generic. You can design your own business website from a template, and sometimes that's the best approach. But in the wrong hands, a DIY website can end up looking ho-hum. Your business website is often the first chance your company has to make a good impression on prospective customers. Do you want to stand out from the crowd, or blend in? Website design experts who can create a custom site for your unique business can give you a competitive edge.
