That’s great, especially when you’re just starting out in business.
If you want to do it yourself website, keep these common newbie mistakes in mind:
Clearly explain, in two sentences or fewer, what you do and what services you provide.
Put this front and center on your website homepage. You can go into more detail lower down on the homepage or on your about page, but you need to capture the visitor’s attention first.
Keep the text simple, straightforward, and easy to read. So many people use AI to write their text. I understand, but don’t do it. It typically sounds wrong, and it shows that you don’t care.
The longer the paragraph, the more people are going to skim it. So use bullet points and easy-to-understand language.
Many newbies go on and on and on, which is a waste of time and energy. Nobody is going to read it.
Use no more than six main menu items in your navigation.
Use drop-down menus to declutter the navigation. Don’t overwhelm your visitor.
60% of your visitors are viewing your site on mobile phones, so be sure your website looks good and functions well on mobile devices.
Test across mobile devices, tablets, and both horizontally and vertically on laptops and desktops.
Most first-timers don’t bother with this—bad move.
When you buy a product or service online, you’re very likely to read the reviews or testimonials first.
Visitors are more likely to purchase if you show proof that others trust your company. So don’t forget to include a Testimonials or a Reviews page. It goes to your credibility.
Consider linking to your Google Business review page, Facebook reviews, and similar.
Your site needs to load fast. Most people will leave a site if it does not load within 3-5 seconds..
One of the easiest things you can do to improve load time is to optimize your images. Websites like TinyPNG, ShortPixel, Optimizilla, or ImageCompressor.com offer online compression services.
Be sure your images are compressed first, then also use a plugin like Imagify or Smush to reduce them further.
Many first timers websites are just ugly. Too cluttered. Too busy. Too much happening.
Presenting a clear, well structured website is important.
Keep the colors to a minimum, use 2 font maximum.
Make a good first impression and initial introduction to your business by using these basic rules to create a nice looking, fast loading website.
Or, if you give up, give us a call!
