Always be selective when it comes to the content on your site. Be organized and logical in the manner in which you present the information. Try not to force feed too many details on your homepage. Use a grid to lay items out and stick to that grid on all pages.
9. Requiring GPS to Navigate Your Site
Keep navigation simple, direct and logical as your visitors move from one page to the next. The general rule is to always keep your navigation in the same place and on bigger sites only change the side navigation from section to section.
8. Forcing Customers to “Do it Your Way”Make the route from first click to sale easy and unencumbered. Is it really necessary for them to have to set up an account prior to making a purchase? Put yourself in the place of the site shopper or user.
7. Avoiding Change and Being Boring
No one wants to see the same thing over and over and over again. Create new ways to engage your customers/users while developing exciting and fresh new ways to keep their attention. And make sure to let your visitors know when you have new content. You can accomplish this through email, social media, RSS feeds, etc.
6. Looking Like the Guy Down the Street
It’s important to know what your competition is doing and how they are ‘dressing’, but you don’t want to be exactly the same. Be sure something about your site makes you stand out and differentiates you from the rest of the pack.
5. It All Looks Like Fine Print
Understand the needs of your customers and tailor your site accordingly. Make it easy to read (large enough type) or less jarring (softer, subtler color palette). Do your homework to get it right. If your target audience tends to be retirees, shoot for larger type. You get the idea.
4. Don’t Forget About the Metrics
Take advantage of all the analytic tools that are available. If you are investing in a new SEO campaign, review Google Analytics to understand where your traffic is coming from and what words they are using to find you.
3. Only Designing for One Browser
With all the various internet browsers that are out there, it is critical that you verify that your site functions properly across all of them. What looks great on Internet Explorer 8.0 may not be so hot on Firefox, Chrome and Safari. Those three browsers together account for more than 60% of the browsers used today.
2. Not Securing Your Domain and a Few Variations Just in Case
Don’t let a competitor steal some of your traffic because you didn’t secure your domain and several variations (ie. .net, .info or .org). It’s inexpensive to buy several different domains and redirect traffic to your preferred URL.
1. Not Getting Help from Someone who ‘Knows’
You’re the expert on your product or service, not on website development or search engine optimization. Enlist the help of a person or team that ‘does this for a living’. In the end, you will get much better ROI in a much shorter time frame.
