{"id":11196,"date":"2024-09-15T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-15T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eparrs.com\/blog\/?p=11196"},"modified":"2024-11-14T15:31:28","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T20:31:28","slug":"common-mistakes-that-could-be-costing-you-customers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eparrs.com\/blog\/common-mistakes-that-could-be-costing-you-customers\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Mistakes that Could be Costing You Customers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s right, your website might be costing you customers due to the many common mistake that I found when visiting professional\u2019s websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, if you\u2019re one of the many business owners I\u2019ve recently reached out to, this message is especially for you&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a world where AI is poised to take over search results, your online presence is more vital to your business than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Imagine this<\/strong>&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AI-driven search engines are becoming the norm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When someone searches for a local plumber, electrician, chiropractor, or any service provider, AI will provide a list of businesses nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But how does AI decide who to recommend?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s likely to use criteria similar to what Google\u2019s algorithms currently rely on now, only without the biases or potential errors that can plague human-driven SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s what I found during my recent review of my first 140 business websites visited:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Theme Change Misalignment:<\/strong> It seems that a theme change may have been implemented without proper adjustments, resulting in the misalignment of various elements across the site.<br><br>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.<br><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Broken Social Media Links:<\/strong> Either missing entirely or outdated, leading to dead links.<br><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>No Social Media Presence:<\/strong> A missed opportunity for credibility, authority, and quality backlinks.<br><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Social Media Presence Not Linked: <\/strong>When you do have social media accounts but they\u2019re not linked to your website, you lose vital backlinks that can help with your authority in your niche.<br><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inconsistent <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eparrs.com\/blog\/search-engine-optimization-for-dummies\/#NAP\"><strong>NAP (Name, Address, Phone)<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong> Discrepancies across different online mentions of your business.<br><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Poor Placement of Telephone Number:<\/strong> Tiny fonts, missing phone numbers, or the need to endlessly scroll to find your contact details.<br><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Small Font Sizes:<\/strong> Those that are far below Google\u2019s recommendations are especially problematic on mobile devices.<br><br>(Using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eparrs.com\/blog\/20-indicators-on-google-analytics-defined-and-explained\/\">Google Analytics<\/a> will help you resolve this issue.)<br><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Oversized Sticky Headers:<\/strong> On some desktops, only an inch of content is visible beneath the massive header.<br><br>Imagine the mobile experience!<br><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>No Contact Method:<\/strong> Some sites offer no way to reach the business at all.<br><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>CAPTCHA Errors:<\/strong> Visible errors on contact forms that deter potential customers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"427\" height=\"230\" src=\"https:\/\/www.eparrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/common-mistakes-that-could-be-costing-you-customers-image01.jpg\" alt=\"Error prompt from a live website\" class=\"wp-image-11199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eparrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/common-mistakes-that-could-be-costing-you-customers-image01.jpg 427w, https:\/\/www.eparrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/common-mistakes-that-could-be-costing-you-customers-image01-300x162.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 427px) 100vw, 427px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Intrusive Pop-up Forms:<\/strong> These can drive visitors away before they even engage with your content.<br><br>Bets you are not aware that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/results?search_query=intrusive+pop-ups\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">users can get rid of pop-ups on various devices<\/a>! Don&#8217;t believe me? Check with YouTube.<br><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Outdated or Missing Content:<\/strong> The site appears to be in poor condition, with essential text either outdated or missing altogether.<br><br>This not only confuses visitors but also undermines the credibility and professionalism of the business.<br><br>Regular updates and thorough checks are critical to ensure that the content accurately reflects the current state of the business and services offered.<br><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>No website at all:<\/strong> Your business has a Google Business Profile but no website.<br><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inconsistent Branding Across Social Media:<\/strong> Different profile images are used on various social media profiles, leading to confusion about whether they represent the same person or business.<br><br>Consistency in branding, including profile images, is crucial to build recognition and trust with your audience across platforms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During my review, I didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Don\u2019t misunderstand<\/strong>, a small number of sites were well-executed&#8230; yet the majority fell short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This lack of accessible and well-organized content could be costing your business valuable opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When potential customers are trying to find you, is this really the image you want to present to them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If not, it\u2019s time to make the necessary changes to your online presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Online visibility will become a rare commodity for you if you don\u2019t continually update and add information on your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your website in its current state could be doing more harm to your business than good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Credit for Header:<\/strong> Image by ChatGPT 4o<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>That\u2019s right, your website might be costing you customers due to the many common mistake that I found when visiting professional\u2019s websites. So, if you\u2019re one of the many business owners I\u2019ve recently reached out to, this message is especially for you&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-branding","category-website-tips"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"<div class='yasr-small-block-bold'><span class='yasr-visitor-votes-must-sign-in'>You must sign in to vote<\/span><\/div>"},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eparrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eparrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eparrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eparrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eparrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.eparrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11196\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eparrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eparrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eparrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eparrs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}