Your business’ website is often the very first glimpse your customers will see of your brand, but so many small business owners unknowingly have websites that are giving their customers the wrong impression.
Let me ask you a question: Would you shop at a storefront that didn’t have a sign, or a storefront that did have a sign but instead of a professional, lighted sign it was instead just a business name on a piece of plywood written in spraypaint? Probably not, right?
If a business doesn’t have a professional sign, it makes the public wonder if the business is legitimate. No sign, or just a handmade sign sends a signal to potential customers that this business either isn’t legitmate or doesn’t really care about their image. Business owners like you know this and that’s why I’m sure your physical location has a permanent professional looking sign above your storefront.
However, many business owners make the mistake of having an unprofessional digital sign in the form of a website that either doesn’t exist at all, or that has several issues and errors in it that make potential customers wonder about the state of the business. Your website may be the first time a customer sees your business and your brand and not having a professional presence can sour your customers on your image or make them question your legitimacy and professionalism.
Many small business owners try to make their own websites using tools like Squarespace, Wix and GoDaddy. Sometimes this goes ok, but most of the time the end result is something like the digital equivalent of spraypainting your business’ name on a piece of plywood. Common mistakes like clashing colors, unreadable text, poorly sized and blurry images and lack of content organization make many “do it yourself” websites look unprofessional in a sea of professional business websites.
It’s understandable how most businesses get here. Most business owners are not website developers, but they also know that they need a website for their small business. So, they go the route of trying to build a site on their own. Unfortunately because they are not web developers, they make mistakes that leave an unprofessional impression on their potential customers.
When a customer sees an unprofessional business website, they’re left to wonder, “If the business owner thinks that this terrible website is ok, what other corners might they cut in their business?”. They’re thinking, “The business owner has to know how bad their site is, right?”. Having an unprofessional website can lead customers to think that a business owner might be unprofessional in other aspects of their business.
These are not thoughts you want your potential customers to have about your business. But since your website may be the only contact your customer may have with your business, they may leave thinking you must be unprofessional or disorganized. You can be the best baker in the world, but if your website looks like garbage it will leave customers wondering how your desserts taste or if you cut corners on your recipes.
It is very important that your small business website sets the right first impression, and fast. On average, customers make up their mind on whether they will stay on your site or leave within the first five seconds. A website with a design straight out of the 1990s or containing mountainous walls of text will send a clear signal to your visitors to high-tail it away from your site.
If you’re looking to keep customers on your site and give the right first impression, you need to send a professional message and project a professional image to your potential customers. Your Right Website can help with this. Let our fifteen plus years of web development experience work for you. We can take your small business website and make it not only shine, but also solve your business’ problems so you can focus on running your business instead of tinkering with a website.
To learn more about how we can help you project the right image for your business online you can view our web design and development packages or you can schedule a free no-obligation consultation with us. We look forward to helping you with all of your website and digital needs.