Is your website just plain ugly?

It might surprise you to learn that when visiting websites, consumers are 42% less likely to buy from you if your website is poorly designed or poorly written. In fact, many people are so turned-off by websites that are old-fashioned, boring, or just plain ugly that they click away within the first 5 seconds.

Those 5 seconds are crucial in getting people to read your homepage, and click through to other pages – eventually even to make a purchase, because if you don’t hold them for that first 5 seconds, you’ve lost the sale.

Many companies, especially small businesses, don’t realise that these days, with everyone having such easy access to websites via mobile devices, most people will look at your online presence before deciding to purchase. You are constantly being judged on not only your website, but your social media behaviour, online reviews, and what you talk about on your blog.

So it’s really important to get your online stuff up to scratch – and it’s worth thinking about how you want your website to look, not only in its aesthetic design, but ease of use as well.

But website design is so expensive!

True, there are plenty of options nowadays to design your own website using sites which design the templates for you. You just buy the domain, put in your images and text, and away you go. BE CAREFUL. Yes, these sites make it simple, but you still have to put the time in to get it right – writing the content alone can take a big chunk of time. And then you will need plenty of images (please not ones you find on the internet!), and think about the right colours, layout, SEO…. It’s not a small job!

Websites which look unprofessional or with an amateur design gives the impression that your business doesn’t take itself seriously. Your customers will see a mile off if you’ve cobbled together a website for your business, so even if you use a template, make sure it looks the part.

Side Note – I’m sure it hasn’t escaped your notice that this very website is in fact a template provided by Blogger, and not a designed website at all. There is a reason why I’ve decided to stick with this type of site – at least for now. I’ve spent a lot of time making this site look and feel more like a website than the blog it started out as. I wanted my site to serve as a ‘showcase’ to my written work, as that is my job. And I find that for now, it still serves me well for the purpose I want to use it for. It may be that in the future, I do decide to invest in a designed website, but the likelihood is, if I do, I will still keep the blog on this site running as well. BUT, if you’re more than a one-person operation, having a more professional site makes a lot of sense.

My website has been re-designed. Now what about the content?

Don’t assume that once your website is looking great, the work is done. That’s only part of it. Those people who clicked off your website because they didn’t like the look of it? They are just as likely to be put off by bad content.

Bad grammar, tardy spelling, and content that simply doesn’t read well will be very obvious to anyone reading it. Your website content has to be immaculate before you make your site live and send it out into the world. If your homepage is littered with errors, your readers will simply click away. And that’s another sale lost.

It isn’t important to update my website – nobody reads it anyway

If you’re putting your website on the back burner, you’re missing a trick. Because your aim should be to steer people to your website – it’s there to give your customers all the information they need to make a purchase, and it should be able to give you credibility in your industry. If no-one’s reading it, then you need to address the reasons why, and fix it. Use tools like social media, blogs, and advertising to tell people where to find your website. Make sure it appears on Google searches. Your website is your shop window – use it.

My website is ugly, but I don’t know where to start!

If you would like me to take an honest look at your website, please just ask! It’s my job and my passion to get small businesses noticed, and your website is the first post of call. I can give you my honest opinion on what you need to do to get things looking and sounding great, and attracting new customers to your site. Feel free to contact me and we can chat!