{"id":460,"date":"2011-04-08T08:08:24","date_gmt":"2011-04-08T13:08:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=460"},"modified":"2011-04-08T08:15:28","modified_gmt":"2011-04-08T13:15:28","slug":"10-common-blunders-on-business-websites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2011\/04\/10-common-blunders-on-business-websites\/","title":{"rendered":"10 common blunders on business websites"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an earlier post, 6 reasons why businesses should have a website<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, we identified some key points that should motivate business owners to establish an online presence.\u00a0 However, for those who already do, their websites might not be generating the desired reaction or results. Outlined below are some of the most commonly seen blunders on business websites.<\/p>\n

1. Incomplete websites.<\/strong> This is one of the most frequently made observations. Pages remain \u201cunder construction\u201d indefinitely; links to other pages are broken; and the default filler text (such as \u201clorem ipsum \u2026\u201d<\/em>) has not been replaced.<\/p>\n

2. Content is not updated regularly.<\/strong> In addition to the first point, content is not being updated regularly. There is often a sense that once a website has been set up, there is little or no need to update it. However, similar to most businesses, websites thrive on frequent and repeat visits. Hence some foresight and effort is required to keep a site interesting to generate follow-up visits.<\/p>\n

3. Websites or parts thereof are not accessible. <\/strong>Problems are experienced when trying to access a site or parts of a site, which are frequently due to expired domains or broken links. In most cases the business is still operational, but the website is not being maintained.<\/p>\n

4. Poorly designed websites.<\/strong> Poor website design is an observation usually made with regard to smaller organisations. However, it is also quite prevalent on websites for government departments and agencies: they tend to have lots of content but it is poorly organised. Many of these organisations might not be able to afford to outsource such an activity, but neither do they have the requisite expertise in-house. Additionally, some web designers complain that they experience considerable difficulty getting the necessary text from their clients. Although their clients expect a top-notch product, they can be delinquent in providing inputs into the design process. Hence compromises must be made.<\/p>\n

5. Unappealing websites.<\/strong> Although this view might be subjective, for websites representing businesses or professional organisations, they are expected to be aesthetically pleasing. The layout, colours, fonts, arrangement, etc of a site reflect its ethos. If it is too busy, or garish, or even if it is too sparse, or boring, visitors will make certain inferences about the organisation that might not necessarily be true.<\/p>\n

6. Poor spelling and grammar.<\/strong> Thanks to text and online messaging services, we have all been exposed to very abbreviated communications, and allowances are made for spelling and grammatical mistakes. However, on a professional website, simple spelling and grammatical errors are such a normal occurrence it can leave one to question an organisation\u2019s language competency and even its professionalism: \u201cIs this an indication of the standard offered (or accepted) by ____?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

7. The site\u2019s purpose is not clear.<\/strong> For many organisations, the main purpose of their websites is to entice customers either to make a sale online or to contact the business. However, the extent to which websites, as designed, promote that objective is questionable. Often, the sites provide inadequate or unsuitable information. Although commercial businesses in particular might be concerned about the information that they publicly disclose (e.g. pricing details), such choices can directly affect the website visitor\u2019s experience, and whether our not any favourable follow-up action will be taken.<\/p>\n

8. Marketing potential is not being harnessed.<\/strong> A key benefit of a website is to increase awareness of an organisation and its offerings. More importantly, it can be used to establish and maintain contact with site visitors at little or no cost. Thanks to a changing attitude on the potential of the Internet to generate business, there are a wide range of tools that can be employed to establish such linkages, for example through email subscriptions and RSS feeds, even through social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.<\/p>\n

9. Free email addresses are used.<\/strong> Although this point might seem a bit trite, it seems unprofessional when an organisation\u2019s website has its own unique domain name, but its email addresses are from a free email service, such as Hotmail, Gmail and Yahoo. Generally, most webhosting facilities allow domain name owners to set up email accounts under that domain. For example, for this website, \u201cwww.ict-pulse.com\u201d, it is possible create email accounts\u00a0under that domain name\u00a0with the format, \u201c____@ict-pulse.com\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n

10. No coherent marketing strategies is reflected.<\/strong> This observation sums up all earlier points: many websites seem not to be part of a business or marketing strategy that sets out clear goals and objectives.\u00a0 Without a specific purpose that is part of a larger and more coherent framework, the design, content and maintenance of those websites tend to be not as directed as they should be.<\/p>\n

In summary, businesses must remember that their websites are a reflection of their organisations \u2013 their ethos, attitudes, capabilities and competence. More importantly, websites are increasingly becoming the forum where first impressions are made. To that end, greater effort should be made to manage the image that is being presented to existing customers, prospective customers and the world at large.<\/p>\n

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