3 Common Website Mistakes Small Business Owners Make

What is the one thing that most small businesses fail at miserably? That would be with their websites. Many of them find that their websites end up not helping spread brand awareness or boosting sales, causing the inevitable end to many of these small companies.

That said, if you own a small business, you might be wondering what exactly causes a website to fail. To help you avoid falling into the same traps, here are some of the most common reasons:

1. Expecting the site to do everything

A website can play a significant role in many small businesses, but this does not mean that you should expect it to do everything. Remember, even if you have dumped all the resources into it, a website would all be for nothing if no one knows it exists.

Put simply, uploading the website and expecting it to be making millions from the get-go would be your downfall. To ensure that it is able to support your business, you need to undertake marketing efforts to spread the news about its existence. For instance, you can use social media advertising to direct people to your website to look at promotions, make a purchase, and more.

To add to that, you will also need to start making an SEO strategy. Its job is to help find ways to push your website higher in rank, meaning that you increase your chances of getting found by users googling around for answers.

2. Using a DIY website builder or buying a cheap one

You have probably seen ads of people starting their business with a DIY website builder that shows off its beauty and features. While that might all be enticing, do website builders actually work?

For most small businesses out there, they do not. That is because many owners lack the technical skills needed to make a good website. Similarly, those who opt for cheap websites also suffer the same consequences.

There are so many aspects to a website, and looks are just one of them. You need to ensure your website is easy to navigate, responsive, loads quickly, offers the right information, and, most importantly, builds trust among the users.

Of course, there are many other things that your website needs to do. To do all of that, we highly recommend that you work with a professional website builder instead. 

3. Not budgeting for the website

There are all sorts of costs you must deal with, from rent and supplies to utilities and insurance. However, do not forget to include your website! This is a mistake many small business owners make, and one that can lead them to utter failure.

Remember, your website is an integral part of your business, especially if you are an online store. If you do not put any effort (budget, in this case) into it, how will you improve on it? 

Without money, not only will you be unable to carry out the necessary updates and changes to your site, but all your website-related activities such as marketing will also take a back seat. When no one knows about your site or that your website is optimized, you are not going to make much money, if any, out of your site, let alone allow it to support your business.

Conclusion

To summarize, market your website and have a professional build it! These are the two things you must remember as a small business owner to ensure that it will bring in results. When you put in the effort to create a beautiful and functioning website, you minimize the risk of this asset failing on you miserably.

If you are looking for a web design company in Winnipeg, Hello Digital Marketing is here for you! With our professional web design and marketing services, we will ensure that your website gets the love it deserves and the results you need. Reach out to us today!