Your Website Should Be a Smooth Journey, Not “The Shining” Maze

Hi Reader,

Today I had two small businesses reach out and ask me about their websites. I ran through a quick review for each and the same problems existed – even for these two radically different small businesses.

Here are some common problems I see and why you should stop doing these:

1. Auto-played videos – I see we are starting off with murder. Just stop. It’s annoyed everyone in 1998, it still annoys everyone in 2024. It makes me (a potential customer) close the tab and move on to something else.
2. Pop-up ads – …to the left, to the right, up top, at the bottom. I’m starting to sound like I’m humming along to “Tootsie Roll.” Pick one pop-up. I know you want one, so keep one. Better still, make the pop-up an email capture form! Make it do work for you.
3. Contact form that is not mobile-optimized – don’t you hate it when you have to scroll left to right AND up and down? Why are we making it so hard for people to contact us?
4. Email address that is not visible on your website – where is your email address? In addition to customers who may want to contact you, you also miss out on media who may want to connect and talk to you.
5. Making the checkout page difficult for the customer to check out – we are trying to buy stuff from you, but you make it impossible to check out. Be sure your checkout process is mobile-friendly and simple. You want money, they want to give it to you.
6. Not bothering with installing Google Analytics for your website – that’s like ignoring your compass in the wilderness. If you’re not tracking, you’re just wandering. We want to see what’s going on with every webpage, how people come to us, how long they stay, where they leave, and so on.
7. No main navigation menu – visitors are looking for something you offer. They’re not here to enter the navigation Olympics.
8. No clear call to action at the jump – what do you want visitors to do first? They may be blown away by fabulous photography but we still need them to do something. What is it? Click a button? Shop now? Contact you? Open up a portfolio?

What have you got for me? Are you making similar mistakes? These fixes aren’t too hard to do yourself, if you’re a team of one. There are a few folks I can recommend if you are looking for someone to optimize your website and its content.

• Now accepting apps til 4/8: Sesame Street Writers Room is an 8-week fellowship that helps you develop a pilot for a children’s television show.
• My client Better for All is hosting a giveaway! LMK if I can send cups to you.
• Dan Runcie runs down some K-Pop lessons, including using its business model to create superfans.
• NAWBO-CA is having their annual conference. If you or someone you know wants to add their products in the swag bags for 250 women-owned businesses, electeds, and VIPS, let me know. I can put you in touch with that team.

I’m headed to East Los Angeles Community College this Wednesday for the Sisterhood Expo! I’ll be speaking about marketing essentials to an audience of college students, small business owners, and those who are starting their side businesses. Can’t wait. I grew up in the area, and I’m happy to give back and hopefully positively impact a few women business owners!

Til next time. Stay healthy!

Chris

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