In this era, technology drives the world to achieve the impossible. Borders become insignificant, time becomes a blur, movements are limitless, and the glass ceiling is shattered.

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And it’s all because of the digital nature of the world today. This is evident even more so in the business world, where one needs to keep up with the digital world to achieve their business goals in the set time.

The major step that needs to be taken to be on par with the advancing technology is to have a website. A website is a digital asset which needs to be leveraged to drive your bottomline. A functional and up-to-date website will get you the leads you want, and your customers will flow in consistently to keep your business booming.

It is too easy to go wrong with websites. Failure of setting up and running a website which caters to the success of your business is too common. Here are several indications that your website sucks –  and how to fix them:

1. You Don’t Have The Right Or Clear ‘Call To Action’

When a visitor visits your website, you want them to be able to contact you easily. You want them to take the next action to learn more about your services, or perhaps purchase a product on the spot. Your contact details should be highlighted and should be at a place that can be easily found.

Your website sucks if your ‘Call To Action’ details are deeply buried under the ‘Contact Us’ tab. Your website sucks even more if you do not display your contact number. A form is never enough. Same goes to email addresses. They are not going to give the instant and personalized reply that customers are expecting. Customers expect you to be just a phone call away, not hidden under too many email threads in the inbox folder.  It is also notable that a phone conversation is a better means to secure the customers compared to emails. You can explain in detail – as well as persuasively! – to make sure you seal the deal immediately.

2. Not Mobile-Friendly

This is the era of smartphones. If your website is not mobile friendly, you are doomed. Mobile friendly websites are practical and far more outreaching to customers, as everyone resorts to smartphones to gather data and information regarding anything and everything. Desktop-only websites are not going to help your business revenues.

In a study titled KPCB Mobile Technology Trends by Mary Meeker, it has been highlighted that mobile digital media time in the US is now significantly higher at 51% compared to desktop (42%). Another media release by Google has proved that ‘more Google searches take place on mobile devices than on computers in 10 countries including the US and Japan.’

Fix your website now – get yourself a developer who knows responsive/ mobile friendly web design strategies. If your website is based on WordPress, most modern themes are mobile friendly.

3. You Are Not Easy To Find

If you are not easy to find, you are not going to get the leads you want – and your business is going to go downhill. It is pointless to have a beautiful and colourful website if people cannot find you.

This is where SEO strategies come in. There are many strategies when it comes to SEO, one of which  is to have fresh and regularly updated content. As always, content is king. You need to employ proper techniques, and have enough content as well as articles with the right commercial intent keywords.

Of course there are other SEO techniques like off-page and on-page SEO, back-linking etc. But we have seen increased leads by simply implementing content strategy with the right mix of  keywords.

4. Unattractive Content

Again, content is king. Words are impactful – and the right words are going to make your customers stay with you. With websites, you need to make a powerful impact as soon as your customers lay their eyes on your layout.

Honestly, nobody cares about your product. They care about what problem you can solve for them, the solution you can provide. Attract your target market by stating the solution you can provide, not your product.

Second, it matters how you present the content. We read slower online than we do on paper. Don’t make it difficult for your potential customers to read. If you have all the information, but  it is all over the place without proper alignment and headings, the customer is going to conclude that your website is useless. You can wave your potential customers goodbye then and there.

5. Slow-Loading Websites

If your website takes longer than 8 seconds to load, you have lost that lead. In this age, we want information accessible instantly. Our attention spans and patience are short, especially online.

In 2009, a study by Forrester Research found that online shoppers expected pages to load in two seconds or fewer — and at three seconds, a large share abandons the site.

The need for speed has been increasing steadily as users are growing accustomed to the readily available data and information in the Internet. It is unacceptable to be late in the era where the fastest wins the race.

Get your image size and site code looked at, test and retest to make sure your website loads within seconds. Change site host if necessary and look into technologies like caching that can speed up your site.

6. Unattractive Logo And Graphics

Logos and graphics reflect professionalism. Logo and graphics give a lasting impression, and stay in the mind of customers for a very long time. Unattractive logo and graphics with dull colour combinations and uninteresting taglines are going to exude an amateur vibe. It is to be noted that customers seek professionalism to get the best service.

Attractive colours give off positive vibes and are connected to vibrancy of the business. Good combination of colours and well-thought designs give an overall good impression, and lures customers to invest in your business.

7. No Social Media Affinity

You believe a website is all that is needed to represent your business online? Think again.

Social media is the new playground. People are there to play, gossip, and  share news. You need to be present at all times on all  social media platforms to gain followers, likers, sharers, retweeters, and, eventually, customers.

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are the best way to attract customers to your website. A simple share of the link which leads to your website will be sufficient to introduce your business to potential  customers.

You can run mini-advertising campaigns on Facebook to target just the right people, the right market to attract your leads. Instagram is another growing platform that is seeing an increased use in attracting leads.

Follow all these steps and watch your website gain attention like never before. And with attention comes customers – in leaps and bounds!