7 Overlooked Harmful Website Mistakes
There are so many real, substantial businesses that currently have problematic web hosting and domain strategies.
We want to make sure you aren’t making the same mistakes. Let’s go through some of the worst offenses, shall we?
Mistake #1: Spending more money on business cards than your web host
It boggles my mind that a company with a great physical-world reputation would risk that goodwill by using a subpar web host.
In other words, if your coffee budget is 10 times higher than your hosting budget, you’re probably not getting a premium service.
Also, if your hosting company brags about having millions of customers, they might not be too upset if your site goes down — but the hit to your bottom line will be substantial.
Mistake #2: Choosing a domain nobody can spell or remember
You said “awesome-and-amazing-dot-com?” Was it “theawesome,” “the-awesome,” or just “awesome?”
Sure, many people are going to discover your site through links or search. But having a memorable (and easy-to-spell) domain does help you attract and retain visitors.
You can’t bank on them bookmarking your site during their first visit.
Mistake #3: Using an impersonal business email address
If you invest in a beautiful website design, then don’t use “@outlook,” “@gmail,” or “@hotmail” for your business’s primary email address.
If you use Outlook or Gmail to pick up and manage your email, that’s totally fine. Just be sure you use your own domain for your email address. You can use an email forwarder or domain settings to get the best of both worlds.
Mistake #4: Providing a slow experience for visitors
Is it acceptable for a web page to take ten seconds to load? Six? How about three? No.
As it happens, Google will punish you if your site provides a slow experience and visitors quickly hit the “back” button.
When your site has good hosting, site speed is measured in milliseconds.
Mistake #5: Getting an unexpected “this site not found” or “this site is dangerous” message
Do you have a process in place to check your site at least once a day? Are you sure it’s working, and that everything looks the way you want it to? Is your site clean and free of malware or other nasty problems?
You either have to constantly monitor your site … or choose a host that does the monitoring for you (and ideally prevents those types of headaches from happening in the first place).
Mistake #6: Keeping “http,” instead of upgrading to “https”
Get your site on SSL.
Mistake #7: Falling behind with outdated software and design
Out-of-date versions of site software make your website an easy target for hackers. And speaking of staying current … when was the last time you updated your web design? I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “dress for the job you want.” Make a strong, professional first impression with a clean, modern design.
You don’t have to spend a fortune on a custom design, either. Just select a high-quality theme and add your branding flourishes. Choose one that is mobile-responsive and doesn’t take hours to load over 3G.
Source: Copyblogger.com