There I was innocently browsing a website a friend had recommended to me. And the experience was… awful. It was for an app but I couldn’t find the download button. Or rather every time I found a download button (the website had 3 of them) it all lead to a contact page. The whole experience left me with a headache.
But this got me thinking about when you’re launching a new website and how you need to be so careful before sharing your website with others. Here are 5 common mistakes to avoid when launching a new website:
1. Ignoring seo
You might not be interested in SEO when you start a new website. Maybe you don’t have time or don’t have the energy. Whatever your excuse is, listen to me now and PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE SEO.
For my first website, I ignored SEO for about 6 years. When I did finally learn more about SEO (against my will TBH. It was part of a module I was studying at the time) and started implementing strategies, my website traffic more than doubled. For months afterwards, I could take it easy on the blogging and promoting because SEO was doing all the work for me.
2. Forgetting about a CTA
A CTA (Call to Action) is when you tell your audience what to do next. Examples of CTAs are “Visit Now”, “Get Yours Here” or “Buy Now”. You want to give your audience instructions on what next steps are. For example, if you’re an app, your CTA might be “Download App” or “Learn More”.
3. NOT OPTIMISING FOR MOBILE
This is an understandable oversight especially as a new business but almost everyone is on mobile. Make sure that your website is mobile-friendly. How do you do this? Ensure speedy loading times (especially on mobile), short sentences that are easy to understand and lots of white space.
4. BROKEN LINKS
Before going live with your website, test for broken links- everywhere!!! Test, test and test again. Make sure that links go to the correct webpages or downloads. Broken link are an annoyance in any business but if you’re a small business, this is one of the things that make people think you’re a scam.
5. Get a third party to test your website
Get someone who hasn’t seen your website before. Make them navigate your website and give you their thoughts. This is an excellent way to get an honest view of your site and any improvements you need to make.