The Top 10 Mistakes My Clients Make
By Andrea Wagner, Principal and CEO, WagnerWebDesigns,Inc.

Learn from your mistakes. My mother always told me that.
Here is a list of the top mistakes business owners make when it comes to their website. Learn from others and improve yours!

1. Not having an email associated with your business name.
Aol, gmail, hotmail: save it for your friends.

2. Putting off creating your website. -P r o c r a s t i n a t i o n
You’re missing out on a large population of Internet users who search for products/services/info online.

3. Having no particular message for your site.
Is your message getting across? Is there a call to action? Is it an online business tool? Make it work for your business or what’s the point?

4. Keeping your site content fresh.
Nothing is worse than old news. If a site doesn’t have anything new to say, what is my motivation to revisit?

5. Not collecting Emails
Marketing for a targeted audience? Communication with your clients? A must! (see #6)

6. Not taking advantage of Email marketing campaigns
The least expensive way to keep in touch with your clients and introduce new products & services.

7. Test your online forms periodically.
If you have forms on your site whether for info or products, test them occasionally. Send a message to yourself. Hosting companies make updates, browser window companies make security changes, all that can break a form. Don’t leave it up to your webmaster. Once they test it, their job is done. It’s your business.

8. Do not use a clip art logo.
Have a logo created just for you. Want to save some money? That’s fine. A generic type only logo is still better online than clipart that is overused. I have seen the same logo for paint, printing, office products to tutoring! There’s no real identity connection there.

9. Not taking advantage of Web designer’s professional advice.
He/she knows what works, what doesn’t, and can offer suggestions to enhance your site, and your marketability. These meetings are usually free.

10. Using a non-professional web designer.
Many a high school freshman can put together a website nowadays. Hey, they can even make your mouse trail jump and raindrops fall across the page. But most do not know the first thing about code for search engine placement, image optimization, and marketing copy with rich content.