Over the past five years that I have been  working online, I have

seen businesses make these same mistakes repeatedly.

 

Mistake # 1.

Treating their website like a brochure.

Your website is designed to make sales, however, you must

convince the prospective customer of the value of whatever

you are offering and that must be done by the words at your site.

 

Content copy is the key to grabbing the customer's attention.

 

And that can only be acheived with great openers and good

consistent and helpful information.

That is after all the primary reason most people come

online in the first place.

 

Mistake # 2.

Failing to use the their site to connect to the customer in any

meaningful way.

Such as, responding to email inquiries promptly, providing a newsletter

or special bulletin to customers with offers, sales, discounts and more.

These tools save businesses money and make sales!

Yet many fail to use these tools to better serve their customers and

also increase sales.

 

Mistake # 3.

Not integrating the 24 Hr marketing capabilities of their website

in to all other forms of mainstream advertising and promotions.

 

That is,  not including the website address on voice mail, business cards,

radio ads, print ads, television advertising.

 

Mistake # 4.

Failure to consider the customer's needs when developing a

website plan.

The site is as much about the company and getting NEW business as it

is providing a convenient tool for existing customers to encourage REPEAT

business.

The business website should be simple and easy to navigate with a clean

and uncluttered layout.

It should load quickly.

 

Mistake # 5.

Failure to seek help with the things they do NOT know how to do.

Many business websites are designed by the owners themselves and

some are quite well done and professional looking.

That is wonderful.

 

However, many others are doing the owners more harm than good.

These sites are amateurish and do not inspire any confidence, which

is essential in getting the customer to make the purchase or whatever

action is desired.

 

Mistake # 6.

Failure to consider or even develop a plan for exactly how the site

will be used to generate leads or make sales!

A site is not like an offline store, where your customers can always find

your location.

The site must generate leads to sustain and grow your business.

You must plan for leads and sales then develop a strategy for getting them,

they won't just fall in your lap.

Some examples are: Contests to enter or free givaways.

Give the customer a reason to remember your site and return often!

 

 

Yvonne offers BRUTALLY honest website reviews. Think your site could

do with one? Go here and click "Design"