10 Reasons Why Your Website Failed

Written by Matthew Henage Thursday, 28 April 2011 09:32

10. You Hired Your Nephew

10. You Hired Your Nephew

So he is a electronic wiz. He plays video games, accumulates 2,000 texts on his phone a month, knows how to use the remote for your entertainment system plus took a website class in high school. You've heard that he has created a website or two and see an opportunity to save a few bucks. Sure, you can hire him for dirt cheap, but that's about what you'll end up with for your website. A few hundred dollars later, you find that the website he created has done more damage than good. You find yourself taking your URL off your business cards, stationary and email signatures. Worst of all you're missing out on potential customers and profits.

9. You Hired out Your Web development outside of the United States

Hiring outside of the country is often difficult and disappointing. If you caved into the idea of hiring a professional for less outside of the country you've probably found like many of my colleagues and myself included that the hassle and work you received isn't even worth it being done for free. Save yourself the stress, and hire a competent firm close to home.

8. You Purchased a Template and Did it Yourself.

Imagine finding out that someone decided to compete directly with your business. After a little bit of research you find that this competitor has no experience in your industry, has no relevant education and plans on putting little money and time in competing with your business. While you've received a related degree in your field, you've had years of experience doing what you do best and you have even excelled at it. Of course you have little reason to feel threatened by this newly learned competition. If you've decided build a website yourself and haven't succeeded online and haven't figured out why, bluntly speaking, look at your competition. When seasoned web designers and marketers are working on your competition's web presence, there is a reason why your losing valuable clients to them.

7. Your Website Looks Like it was Made in the 80's or 90's (or it was)

If your website looks junky, how do you think your visitors think about your products, services or business. Invest in your business image, or you'll see that you'll fail fast.

6. You Created a Splash Page

There are many reasons why people choose to have a splash page and none have been effective thus far in doing so. Splash pages and intro animations end up just becoming an annoyance to your visitors, especially if they come to your website more than once.

5. You Only Have One Page.

Limiting the content on your site is a very ignorant maneuver. There are so many opportunities your website can take advantage of, but without content virtually none of it is possible. Content is king, build it and they will come.

4. Your Site Has No Appeal

Keep things fun, keep things light and above all keep things interesting. It is interest that brought your visitor to your site in the first place and it will be interest that will keep your visitor from leaving. If everything about your website is boring, you'll never convince them to stay long enough to take a chance on you.

3. You Only Hired a Web Designer/Developer.

If you forgot to appropriate sufficient funds to get visitors to your website, your website does no good for you. Not only do you need a website to succeed, but you need visitors as well, and just by building a website will not bring anyone to it. Without traffic, you will fail.

2. Your Website is Too Generic

You can have traffic to your website, and your design might be appealing to your visitors but if you show no uniqueness or advantage over your competitors your losing more business than you should. Although Branding is often misunderstood, it is a crucial part of defining a unique business image and which should be portrayed through your site. Show a competitive advantage through your website design, style and content and you'll retain more customers and take a few from your competitors as well.

1. You Didn't Monetize Your Site

This is the most common issue websites have today, not converting visitors into customers/clients. Either your website doesn't have a plan on converting visitors into customers, isn't focused on it or isn't effective enough. In any way that you look at it, if you can't succeed at this, your website will fail.