That’s right, your website might be costing you customers due to the many common mistake that I found when visiting professional’s websites.
So, if you’re one of the many business owners I’ve recently reached out to, this message is especially for you…
In a world where AI is poised to take over search results, your online presence is more vital to your business than ever before.
Imagine this…
AI-driven search engines are becoming the norm.
When someone searches for a local plumber, electrician, chiropractor, or any service provider, AI will provide a list of businesses nearby.
But how does AI decide who to recommend?
It’s likely to use criteria similar to what Google’s algorithms currently rely on now, only without the biases or potential errors that can plague human-driven SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).
Here’s what I found during my recent review of my first 140 business websites visited:
- Theme Change Misalignment: It seems that a theme change may have been implemented without proper adjustments, resulting in the misalignment of various elements across the site.
The most glaring issue is the header text, which is partially blocked by a color band intended for the navigation bar, but the problem extends to other areas as well, indicating a lack of thorough post-theme-change tweaks. - Broken Social Media Links: Either missing entirely or outdated, leading to dead links.
- No Social Media Presence: A missed opportunity for credibility, authority, and quality backlinks.
- Social Media Presence Not Linked: When you do have social media accounts but they’re not linked to your website, you lose vital backlinks that can help with your authority in your niche.
- Inconsistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone): Discrepancies across different online mentions of your business.
- Poor Placement of Telephone Number: Tiny fonts, missing phone numbers, or the need to endlessly scroll to find your contact details.
- Small Font Sizes: Those that are far below Google’s recommendations are especially problematic on mobile devices.
(Using Google Analytics will help you resolve this issue.) - Oversized Sticky Headers: On some desktops, only an inch of content is visible beneath the massive header.
Imagine the mobile experience! - No Contact Method: Some sites offer no way to reach the business at all.
- CAPTCHA Errors: Visible errors on contact forms that deter potential customers.
- Intrusive Pop-up Forms: These can drive visitors away before they even engage with your content.
Bets you are not aware that users can get rid of pop-ups on various devices! Don’t believe me? Check with YouTube. - Outdated or Missing Content: The site appears to be in poor condition, with essential text either outdated or missing altogether.
This not only confuses visitors but also undermines the credibility and professionalism of the business.
Regular updates and thorough checks are critical to ensure that the content accurately reflects the current state of the business and services offered. - No website at all: Your business has a Google Business Profile but no website.
- Inconsistent Branding Across Social Media: Different profile images are used on various social media profiles, leading to confusion about whether they represent the same person or business.
Consistency in branding, including profile images, is crucial to build recognition and trust with your audience across platforms.
During my review, I didn’t even explore mobile responsiveness or security issues because it took me considerable time just to find the basic information needed to simply reach out to the business owners.
Don’t misunderstand, a small number of sites were well-executed… yet the majority fell short.
If I, with specific intent and determination, struggled to gather this information, imagine how difficult it must be for your potential leads to find out about your business.
This lack of accessible and well-organized content could be costing your business valuable opportunities.
When potential customers are trying to find you, is this really the image you want to present to them?
If not, it’s time to make the necessary changes to your online presence.
Online visibility will become a rare commodity for you if you don’t continually update and add information on your website.
Your website in its current state could be doing more harm to your business than good.
Credit for Header: Image by ChatGPT 4o
