The Big Problem With Small-Business Sites

THE BIG PROBLEM Websites are a critical meeting point between small businesses and customers. Maintaining an optimized site is crucial to acquiring new customers, building credibility and nurturing client relationships. Yet, WITH SMAL-BUSINESS SITES today, almost /3 of smal-buainess owners maintain their websites themselves, neglecting key site functions that consumers want, like mobile optimization, social network integration and user-friendly design. Here, we look at the costly mistakes small-business owners make when they try to maintain their own websites. COMMON SMALL-BUSINESS WEBSITE MISTAKES CSTLY MISTAKES X By trying to maintain websites themselves, businesses face many obstacles. NO CALL TO ACTION Poor Design By taking design into their own hands, small businesses cause themselves headaches and risk having poorly designed sites. Without a main call to action, customers wan't know why they are visiting the website or what your company has to offer: SALE of small-business owners who plan to improve their 41% websites, say design/aesthetic is the top choice of action. 100% 93% Time-Consuming Updates of unall-businesses' sites do not display contact email addresses. When you maintain your site yourself, you run the risk of wasting time you could be using to cultivate business. of business owners find the time necessary to update the website major challenge. say the cost of maintaing is a big hurdle. 49% 64% 25% lack any phane numbers on their home pages No Metrics POOR SEO NO SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Without metrics, businesses are unable to track their progress, their reach, or their customers' habits and needs. Discoverability is important, helping potential customers find your company. By allowing your customers to share their experiences with your brand via social channels, you're enabling information about your business to reach people you might not have otherwise targeted. of small-business sites cannot be s because their websites earn a Google Page Rank of zero or have no Google 75% 26% found in online searche did not use analytics tools to measure their websites' performance. Page Rank. Lack Facebook widgets 917. ............ O........... With keyword data, meta descriptions, and page titles, your site can stand out amongst the rest. Lack Tmitter midgets 94. 60% do not feel they have the sense of their site analyties or take action to resolve issues. Lack Twitter links 83% NO MOBILE OPTIMIZATION SORRY! Most people today look at websites on their mobile devices. Without the technology to engage this group, small businesses are The tete iun ptimed for missing out on key consumers. 60% do not have mobile websites or know if their websites are mobile-capable. 100% No Designated IT Person A single cyber attack Without designated IT help, small businesses risk security breaches or costly mistakes. By going to the professionals, IT help is included with your website. of smal businesses have been cyber attacked. costs $8,669.48 44% on average. Small businesses may not be as tech-savvy as larger companies, or they don't have the staff to provide for a full-time IT person. Give your clients and customers the tools they need to interact with your business, and ensure you don't make these same website mistakes. Check out MyCase's newest ebook, Keys to a Successful Website, to learn more. Focus on what matters, and leave the website to the professionals. PRACTICE MORE AND MANAGE LESS. QMyCase SOURCES: YODLE | NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION | SITEAPPS | VSPLASH