The Internet is no longer what it once was, and creating a showcase website for your business is now a work that is both a science and an art.
Among the infinite choices that exist online, your company's showcase site must be impeccable and direct visitors to specific actions.
The process of creating such a site involves several steps as well as pitfalls, so you may end up with a site that is far from your goals and will not benefit your business.
In fact, many mistakes are frequently made during this process. In this article, I have collected the most common errors that characterize many showcase sites that I have browsed.
You will then be able to avoid them in order to create a website that truly reflects your business and your values. Are you ready to discover these errors? So let's go !
8 common mistakes to avoid when creating a showcase website
When companies start creating a site, they make certain errors which slow down their digitalization and sometimes the growth of their activities.
Here are the 8 biggest mistakes you need to watch out for when you create a showcase site.
Mistake #1: Not having a clear goal
Before even thinking about design a website, it is essential to know exactly what you want to achieve. Is it to generate leads? Increase your notoriety? Improve your brand image?
Without a well-defined goal, you risk getting lost along the way and never achieving the desired results. So take a few minutes to clarify your intentions and make sure that every element of your site contributes effectively.
Quick tip: Consider formulating your main objective in SMART form (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely defined). For example: “Increase organic traffic to my website by 20% in six months.”
Mistake #2: Neglecting User Experience (UX)
When you go to a restaurant, we agree that you want to quickly find a place to sit and that the service comes to you to take care of your also order as quickly as possible.
Yes, this is the experience reserved for visitors who land on your company's showcase website. They want to have their concerns answered quickly and navigate easily on your site.
In other words, they want to have the best UX possible. UX refers to the overall satisfaction that an Internet user experiences when using a product, service or interface.
A good UX will allow your visitors to navigate your site intuitively and quickly access the information they are looking for. Conversely, poor UX will lead to frustration and premature abandonment.
And according to statistics, 80% of consumers will leave a brand after three bad experiences, even when they are loyal customers. The bill is steep, isn't it? 😂
Quick Tip: Put yourself in the shoes of your potential customers and imagine their typical journeys on your site. Simplify navigation as much as possible and be vigilant about page loading times. Remember that the less we do, the better off we are... in terms of web design at least!
Mistake #3: Ignoring responsive design
Instead of wasting time on a poorly designed site, 38% of people will stop interacting with the latter to access other sites that are more attractive and navigable without headache.
But it must be recognized that building a site well is complicated these days, especially since Internet users consult websites from various devices: computers, tablets and smartphones.
It is therefore essential to guarantee an optimal experience on all these media thanks to responsive design. This consists of automatically adapting the presentation of your site according to the screen size of the device used.
According to a study by Zippia, 57% of users will not recommend a company with poor mobile website design.
Furthermore, the design of your company's showcase website has an impact on the perceived value of your company.
Indeed, a professionally designed site shows that you are serious and trustworthy. This also justifies the fact that 75 % of users judge the credibility of a company based on the design of its website.
Quick tip: Regularly test your site on multiple types of devices (computers, tablets, phones) to ensure that it offers a user-friendly experience adapted to each person.
Mistake #4: Forgetting the Call to Action (CTA)
This is a clickable button or link that invites users to take a specific action, such as requesting a quote or downloading an ebook. However, without an appropriate CTA, your visitors will remain passive and will not know what to do next.
Quick tip: Systematically integrate relevant and visually appealing CTAs on all your key pages, especially those presenting your services or products. Also remember to regularly renew your CTAs to maintain the interest of visitors who have already converted.
Mistake #5: Lack of graphic and editorial consistency
A visual identity strong and homogeneous contributes greatly to establishing solid trust among your prospects and customers.
This is what statistics show, according to which a consistent brand image can increase by 33 % conversions on a website.
On the contrary, a shaky graphic charter or inconsistent speech will generate confusion and distrust.
Quick tip: Rigorously determine your editorial line as well as your typographic universe. Strictly respect these rules on all of your print and digital media.
Mistake #6: Poor social media integration
Social networks represent an ideal marketing channel to promote your business and directly connect with your customers.
However, if their insertion is not properly thought out or harmoniously orchestrated, it will harm your digital credibility.
Quick Tip: Carefully select the social platforms corresponding to your target audience. Deploy appropriate sharing modules and skillfully display your network profiles via stylish widgets.
Mistake #7: Overloading the site with unnecessary content
Content is king, as they say, and it’s tempting to want to say and show everything on your website. Unfortunately, information overload will dissuade visitors from exploring your page further.
They will tend to feel overwhelmed and unable to quickly locate relevant data. Furthermore, a useful and quality content shows that you know what you're talking about and that your site is worth our time.
Quick Tip: Adopt a minimalist approach by keeping only the essentials. Focus on concise texts, meaningful images and a clear structure. This will ensure your important messages stand out clearly and capture the attention of your audience.
Mistake #8: Neglecting the importance of natural referencing (SEO)
It's every entrepreneur's dream: to build your site and see the visitors magically flow in. 😅
Unfortunately, in real life, it doesn't work like it does in "Field of Dreams". If you don't promote your site, it will remain as deserted as a cinema showing a boring movie.
And what’s better than SEO to promote your site in the long term, for free! Indeed, ignoring natural referencing means condemning your site to low exposure on search engines.
Quite naturally, this will strongly impact its ability to attract qualified traffic. This situation is particularly damaging since it considerably slows down your digital business development. This article explains for example some SEO mistakes to avoid on your site.
Quick tip: Optimize your HTML tags wisely, select your keywords intelligently and multiply backlinks from reliable sources. These efforts made in terms of SEO will significantly promote your positioning in the SERPs, which will simultaneously stimulate the growth of your online audience.
In summary
By becoming aware of these eight classic mistakes and adopting the associated recommendations, you will significantly maximize the chances of success for your website on display.
Keep in mind that a successful digital achievement is above all a profitable investment to sustainably enhance your business.
