Whilst you may view some of your site’s flaws as trivial, users may have a totally different perception of them.
If you screw up your site because it’s has any of the problems I’ve highlighted here, visitors turn away in droves.
Here are some hidden pitfalls that often escape the attention of site developers and webmasters. They may look like legitimate steps in the development process but they can scare away site visitors and may even create lasting damage to your business.
- The flashing of the “under construction” sign.
Putting up an “under construction” sign on your site sends off a wrong signal and marks you as a struggling newbie. Site visitors will immediately turn away and most will not attempt to make a second visit. The rule of thumb is, if your site is not yet ready, or parts of it still need extensive work, do not show it to the public at all.
- Your site is crammed with overused technology and pointless sizzle.
There is no need to put all the new technology available just to show other people that you are cool and up to date on the latest developments. Using them all in your site could compromise its usability and confuse the users. Opt for simplicity to enhance your site’s functionality and keep the readers’ interest and attention.
- Having a visitor counter on your site.
Visitors are not interested in fellow visitors, unless they are interactive with each other on forums or reading blog comments. Showing how many visitors your site has can work against you. Too few may influence them into thinking it’s not interesting enough and too many may make it seem fictitious and faked. So, do away with having a counter for site visitors. It does not serve any purpose except for you, the owner. If you want to track what’s happening, use a free tool like Google Analytics.
- Your site does not have copyright statements or a privacy policy stage.
Copyright declarations should be on every page of your website, updated as necessary, to protect the content of the site. Your creations deserve no less. Also, not having a privacy policy is a sign that the site’s a bit amateurish. Also if you’re hoping to monetize your site with Google Adsense, you must have a privacy policy.
- Pointless use of passive verbs.
Passive verbs denote submissiveness and timidity, so use them sparingly. Active verbs lend energy and dynamism to your site and should be your first choice of writing style. If it’s a long time since you did grammar at school, wikipedia explains the passive voice well.
- Use of long-winded and wordy sentences.
Long sentences turn away visitors because these are boring and tedious. This occurs too in erroneously trying to keep up with search engine optimization strategies. Keep your sentences short and lucid; it will make them easy to read and comprehend.Always checkout how difficult your writing is to read at http://www.read-able.com.
- Having long pages on your site.
Users are known to detest long winded articles. To hold their attention, keep your content brief and direct to the point. Make use of navigations and links for further discussion on the topic. Bullets, headings and sub-headings can help break up text and make it feel more manageable to read for your visitors. If it seems tough to drag out the details from your prose, they’ll click away.
- Not encouraging visitors to respond.
Incorporating features that tell your visitors what to do next will make them feel involved and keep them on your site longer. Try adding these: Sign up for my newsletter, Register now, etc.
- Failing to mention the benefits your product can give to the buyer.
People buy products and services to give them pleasure and solve problems. Informing them of the benefits of your product compared to similar ones on the market will make them inclined to buy yours.
- Your site has typographical and grammatical errors.
These slip-ups will mark you off as a novice, or worse, as a businessman who doesn’t give much importance to his business and therefore, isn’t concerned with the quality of his products either. To avoid giving this impression to visitors of your site, scrutinize the content of your page and check typography and grammar before publishing it. Here’s 7 tips to make proofreading easier.
If you think your site is suffering from one of these problems, why not post a link and I’ll offer you some tips for quick fixes, tailored to your situation.
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