How could anyone forget that website design in the 2000s was limited to a simple, structured design that looked more like digitized sales information than the storytelling and interactive websites we see today. Regardless of how large or small your company is, a content-rich, visual, and user-optimized website will get your users to engage with your content and become involved.
Irrelevant content will ultimately fail to send the intended messages to current or potential customers if those messages are not carefully considered. Your website is the best medium for communicating these messages. If your website is poorly designed, not easy to navigate, and thin on content, it will cause users who have landed on your website looking for specific solutions to look elsewhere. If you do not care about how your website looks, how your company is represented, or how you can simplify navigation so potential customers can find you, then you are sending a very confusing message that will reflect poorly on your company.
So if you ensure that your content is easy to understand and correctly placed, you will set yourself on the path to success in digital marketing.
„46 % of respondents say that the design of a website is the most important criterion for assessing a company’s credibility.“
Source: Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab
But what common mistakes do companies make when designing their websites?
The website is not mobile-friendly
According to Statista, 52.2 % of all website traffic worldwide was generated via mobile phones in 2018. The reason behind this statistic is that people spend more time on their smartphones and search for information on the go. Optimizing your website for mobile use is therefore of the utmost importance if you want your content to be seen.
„48 % of users say that, as soon as they arrive on a company website that does not work well on mobile, they take this as a sign that the company is not interested.“
Source: MarginMedia
The website design does not follow the structure of the content
A well-designed website does indeed encourage interest in and interaction with the content. However, we often see websites that are packed with content but lack structure and purpose. What intent are you pursuing with the content on your website? Do you want to create an educational website with information that users can use to educate themselves, or do you want to use a storytelling approach to raise awareness of your company’s solutions or products?
Before you begin designing your website, you should consider what type of content you want to communicate and what purpose it serves. This saves you valuable time and money when you further evaluate your content in the future.
No search engine optimization
Organic SEO strategies (search engine optimization) should be an essential part of your digital marketing efforts to bring new visitors to your website. Without good search engine optimization, you will not attract more visitors to your website or have more opportunities to convert leads, no matter how impressive your website design may be. A website that is focused on conversion optimization usually has better metrics and is therefore preferred by Google and ranked higher.
„Marketing specialists believe that SEO is becoming more effective, with 82% of respondents reporting that effectiveness is increasing and 42% of this group stating that effectiveness is rising significantly.“
Source: MarketDive, 2016
You are not using the right Content Management System (CMS)
If you choose the right CMS, you can create, edit, manage, and maintain your web pages through a single interface. These content management systems streamline web design and content publishing to ensure that both your site and your workflows are streamlined. These systems are fundamental for B2B companies that require regular content updates, precise user targeting, simplified workflows, no HTML, CSS, or JavaScript skills, and search engine optimization, and ensure that your website looks clear, considered, and fresh.
Choosing the right CMS for your company can be overwhelming, but to make this decision easier, you first need to define your digital marketing goals, decide how much content you want to create, and what purpose this content serves. This process does not have to be daunting.
Your website is your company’s digital ambassador. It not only enables you to build credibility, but also sets you apart from the competition. In today’s highly competitive market, defined by authority and popularity, you naturally want to stay ahead of your competitors.
If you need help designing your website, supported by a fully customizable CMS that optimizes your website for search engines and is easy to navigate, you have come to the right place.
To learn more about us, visit our website and find out how we can help you:www.strg.at.