Creating a professional website is a crucial step for any business or freelancer looking to stand out or improve their online presence. However, it's easy to make mistakes that can harm your site's effectiveness and user experience. In this article, we detail the 10 most common mistakes and, importantly, how to avoid them. For each mistake made, you will find an explanation of why it's a mistake and solutions to fix these issues and ensure your website's compliance.
Let’s go…
Neglecting Responsive Design
Why is it a mistake?
Today, over 60% of users browse the internet via a smartphone or tablet. If your site is not optimized for these devices, you risk losing a significant number of potential visitors. Additionally, Google favors mobile sites in its search results, which encourages website owners to consider mobile users more seriously.
How to avoid this mistake?
Adopt a responsive framework: If you use a CMS like WordPress, choose a responsive theme or tools like Tailwind CSS or Bootstrap, which are CSS frameworks that make it easy to create responsive sites.
Test your site regularly: Use tools like Google Mobile-Friendly Test to check compatibility, or use Chrome extensions to test your site on different devices.
Prioritize mobile experience: Design first for mobile (mobile-first approach), and then adapt for larger screens.
Ignoring the Importance of Loading Speed
Why is it a mistake?
A slow site is frustrating and gives a poor impression of professionalism. Studies show that each additional second of delay in loading can lead to a 7% decrease in conversion rates. In good connection conditions, a website that takes longer than 3 seconds to load can drive visitors away.
How to avoid this mistake?
Compress your images: Use tools like TinyPNG or plugins such as Smush for WordPress, or use CDNs to deliver your resources.
Enable caching: Set up a caching system to reduce loading times.
Choose quality hosting: A slow host can be a major cause of slowdowns. One of the hosts I use and recommend is Hostinger.
Not Clearly Defining Site Objectives
Why is it a mistake?
A website without clear objectives lacks direction and risks losing visitors. If you don’t know what action you expect from them (purchase, sign-up, contact), they won’t know either and will be lost when visiting your site.
How to avoid this mistake?
Identify your target: Ask yourself, "Who are my visitors and what are their expectations?"
Define your direction: Product purchases, newsletter sign-ups, program enrollments, contacting the company, etc.
Set measurable goals: For example, increase sales by 20% or achieve 60 sign-ups per month.
Underestimating the Importance of Content
Why is it a mistake?
An attractive design can attract visitors, but without relevant content, they won’t stay. Content is essential for providing value, engaging visitors, and improving your SEO. Writing content for a website is not a task to be taken lightly; you need to dedicate time and resources to ensure it aligns with your objectives.
How to avoid this mistake?
Focus on quality: Write clear, structured content without spelling errors.
Diversify your formats: Offer articles, videos, infographics, or case studies.
Update regularly: Outdated content gives an impression of neglect.
Forgetting SEO Optimization
Why is it a mistake?
Even with excellent content, your site will remain invisible without SEO. Being well-positioned on Google is essential for attracting organic traffic and reaching your targets. You need to optimize your pages for indexing by search engines.
How to avoid this mistake?
Identify your keywords: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest.
Optimize your meta tags: Each page should have a unique title tag and meta description.
Create user-friendly URLs: Prefer short and descriptive URLs.
Proposing Complex Navigation
Why is it a mistake?
Users want to quickly access the information they’re looking for. Confusing or cluttered navigation can cause frustration and lead them to leave your site.
How to avoid this mistake?
Simplify your menu: Limit the number of main items to 5 or 6 maximum.
Use clear categories: Group similar content under well-organized drop-down menus.
Add a search bar: This allows users to quickly find what they’re looking for.
Neglecting Security
Why is it a mistake?
An unsecured site can be hacked, exposing your users' data and harming your reputation. Additionally, Google penalizes sites without an SSL certificate as this has become a major security standard.
How to avoid this mistake?
Install an SSL certificate: This ensures your site uses the HTTPS protocol. With Hostinger, every domain purchase includes an SSL certificate provided and installed directly in your hosting plan.
Keep your software updated: CMSs like WordPress need regular updates to fix security vulnerabilities.
Ignoring User Testing
Why is it a mistake?
A site may look perfect on paper, but end users may encounter unexpected issues, such as bugs, broken links, or unintuitive navigation.
How to avoid this mistake?
Hire external testers: They will give a fresh perspective on your site.
Use testing tools: Hotjar or Crazy Egg can analyze how users interact with your site.
Quickly fix issues: Take feedback into account to improve user experience.
Not Integrating Analytics
Why is it a mistake?
Without data, it’s impossible to know if your site is meeting its objectives. You also won’t be able to identify areas for improvement.
How to avoid this mistake?
Install analytics tools: Google Analytics is free and comprehensive, but other options like Matomo offer more control over your data.
Monitor key indicators: For example, bounce rate, average time spent on the site, or most visited pages.
Forgetting to Plan for Maintenance
Why is it a mistake?
A website is not a static creation. Without maintenance, it can quickly become outdated, vulnerable, or poorly indexed.
How to avoid this mistake?
Set up a maintenance schedule: Plan regular updates for content, plugins, and themes.
Monitor performance: Use tools like GTmetrix to detect slowdowns.
Regularly back up your site: In case of issues, you can restore a previous version.
With these common mistakes and their solutions, you will be able to avoid the pitfalls for your next website and this prevent losing more visitors while converting them into potential leads for your business. Thank you for reading this article to the end, and see you next time.
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