5 Website Mistakes to Avoid

A website says a lot about a company.

It communicates a lot of essentials about your brand, like its personality, voice, and the value it claims to offer. Here are 5 mistakes to avoid on your website that could be turning visitors away, instead of bringing them in.

1. Non-Descriptive Navigation

Products. Services. About Us. 

These website navigation headings are common, but they’re not always the best way to grab people's attention. 

What is it that you specifically offer?

When strangers stumble across your website, you want them to understand what you do in seconds. Strong website navigation is one way to do that. 

Here's an example of an attorney's website I helped update:

And an IT Services Firm: 

You don't have to guess what they do.

The navigation provides instant clarity. 

Another way to organize your website navigation is by audience or reason for visiting your site. Microsoft Dynamics does a great job of getting website visitors to the right place quickly.  

2. Fluffy Filler Words 

For some reason, companies love to use lots of words that  don't actually do anything to differentiate the business. If anything, they can make you sound bland and boring. 

Words like “robust" and “state of the art” have been overused to the point where they no longer hold any meaning.

Some companies describe "Captain Obvious" steps of their processes, like "We'll consult with you, listen to your requirements and provide a recommendation." Yep. Doesn't EVERYONE do this? 

Don’t write to fill space. The copy on your site should be compelling, specific, and easy to understand.

3. Wall of Words

White space is your friend!

Use it, and use it often. Don’t be afraid to use lists and other additional formatting, such as italicizing key words or employing lots of headers.

Break up paragraphs and lines of text to make it visually appealing. Your content is more likely to be scanned than read by a majority of your visitors, so make it easy for them to find what they’re looking for quickly.

4. Picture-Perfect Stock Photography

When it comes to communicating authenticity, pictures are still worth a thousand words. So why do so many sites still use random stock photos to represent their business?

Generic stock photos hurt your image and cheapens your brand. There are plenty of other options out all around the Internet for high-quality, low cost (even free) photos that will make your site look a lot more professional. Better yet, find someone you know that is confident in their own photography skills and have them take some pictures for you!

5. Forms of Inappropriate Length

If you’ve done all the hard work of creating good content for your website visitors, you’ll want them to fill out a form with their own personal information. This is a necessary next step, but the amount of information you ask for on the form should be proportional to what you’re giving them.

The more form fields you have, the less conversion.

You should only ask for the minimum amount of information you need to respond to a lead. You can always ask more questions later, once you have their contact information. Less is more. 

Does your website include any of these mistakes? Are there other mistakes to avoid on your website? Do you have any other things you’ve come across on sites that you think should be on here? Let us know in the comments below!