Mistakes to avoid when creating a website

A website is an important tool for soloists when it comes to communicating with existing clients and attracting new ones. In this article I will discuss four common mistakes to avoid when creating a website for your business.

1. We built it but nobody came...

If attracting new visitors to your website is important, then you need to plan for it - it is highly unlikely you will succeed by accident. If possible, you should start thinking about marketing your website before you even have one. The way a website is built can dramatically impact on its ability to perform well in search engines.

You should ask potential web developers for examples of websites they have built that are ranked highly. You will also need to consider things like email marketing, offline marketing and a variety of other marketing methods to attract quality traffic to your website. This will be an ongoing process.

2. A website is never finished

Avoid thinking about your website as something that will ever be finished, rather you need to think of how easily and cost effectively your website will evolve over time. You will need to add new pages, edit content, possibly consider a design face-lift, as well as make constant small improvements to keep up to date with the latest internet developments, such as new web browsers.

The degree to which your website evolves will depend on the type of website you settle upon and where it fits into your business as a whole. If changes are frequent you should seriously consider a Content Management System (CMS).

A CMS allows you to update your website content yourself rather than paying web developers to make simple changes. Be aware that over time you may need to also spend money to keep the CMS itself up to date as technology changes.

3. Users hate slow websites

Do not underestimate how a slow loading website can affect its success. Not everyone has broadband and those who do expect sites to get faster each year. Statistics suggest that if a website doesn’t load within eight seconds, around one-third of visitors will leave.

The need for a fast website emphasises the importance of cutting straight to the point and avoiding large image or video files that may look nice, but adversely affect the performance of your website.

Speak to your website developer about techniques to make your website load within a reasonable timeframe. It can be attractive to go for cheap hosting overseas, often in the United States, however be aware that you may be sacrificing the speed of your website, and therefore its success, for a few dollars per month.

4. Don’t necessarily go for the cheapest option

Creating a website can cost a business anything from a few dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. The price difference will come down to your specific needs and how much custom design or programming you require. In all of this you need to maintain a strict sense of reality, as the old adage goes – you get what you pay for!

Don’t go for a cheap do-it-yourself solution if you do not have the skills to create a website that will effectively win you customers, rather than turning them away. You may not need a highly customised and expensive solution if your website simply needs to let people know what your business does. Explore all your options before you make a decision.

In my next article I discuss the benefits of keeping your website simple, how to pick a web developer and the importance of compatibility across the majority of browsers and operating systems. In the final part to the series I will explore some of the limitations of creating a website

Come to Flying Solo LIVE! to see David Lawrence present How and why to create a winning website Wednesday September 17, 2008 at The Australian Technology Park, Sydney.

David Lawrence has been planning and building effective websites for business since 1997. He is one of the founders of The Web Showroom, a 100% Australian owned company that provides small businesses with an easy way to own a professional website.

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Another mistake people frequently make is to put together content in a hurry. Content is the key in online marketing and often makes the difference between an engaging website and one which people ignore. Site Layout, design and search engine friendly features are also very important. More useful material on www.searchenginerankings.com.au Anup Batra from Melbourne
Spot on, David - "I am a potential buyer and I don't care about you - all I care about is/are the benefits/value I will gain as a result of buying from you!" Grant Hyman from Sydney | Read my articles
I think your first website should be non-flash based. Wordpress is a good easy program to start with.
Cheers
Tim
http://www.nuganics.com.au Tim Lester from Marcoola
As a web consultant, one of the first problems I see on my clients' requirements is that they want the newest technology to be used on their website, it doesn't matter if it adds value to the site or not.
Usability and efficiency of the web application should be the primary goals. A usable design will be by default a good design.
The Experience Studio, www.experiencestudio.com.au Juan I. Ruiz from Sydney
I've just had my site overhauled to better suit my growing business. I would love some of your feedback.
www.thegrubgroup.com.au
steve@thegrubgroup.com.au
Cheers Steve Johnston from Sydney Australia
As a web designer and website consultant for Telligence, we see time and time again busines owners who purchase websites based on price alone and what happens down the track the site become useless and the client wastes time and money. Many websites we see lack planning, seo, flexibility, cannot be edited by clients and do not offer the ongoing support and training. We believe it is the obligation of the website and service provider to educate and inform cleints so they can make educated decision based off features, support, marketing tools and most important ongoing support and mentoring for the life of the website. Telligence - delivering smarter online solutions. www.telligence.com.au Peter Atkins from Newcastle, NSW, Australia

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