Melbourne small business owners know better than to make the mistake of treating a professional business web design as more of an afterthought. After all, when starting a business it can be easy to forget everything else and focus on perfecting your product and/or service to ensure a successful launch.

In this day and age, however, that could be a fatal business strategy to follow. When it comes to having a professional web design, Melbourne small business owners understand that it is a crucial asset to their marketing and branding efforts.

Being able to find your business on in the internet is just one of the many benefits of a great web design. Melbourne small business clients also expect your website to be easy to use, very informative, and have a great professional appearance.

Cheap web design will only hurt your business

With so many Do-It-Yourself website products on the market at incredibly affordable prices, it can be tempting to opt for those instead of paying the supposedly exorbitant costs of getting a professional web design.

Melbourne small business owners who have been successful would say otherwise. Here are some of the common web design mistakes that small business owners tend to make and that you should avoid following.

Web design mistakes to avoid

You haven’t determined your target audience

While it is true that your business website allows you to reach a potentially large amount of customers, it doesn’t mean you are marketing your product to the right customers, i.e. the ones who will actually buy your products.

Doing your homework on researching your ideal customer base is the best way to set up your business for success. Your web design should be done in a way that incorporates this information so it drives in your ideal customer traffic.

Customers have no idea what your call to action is

Customers are finally managing to land on your website, therefore don’t make their life any harder by not giving them a clear direction about what they should do next.

This is definitely not the time to be shy with them! Use big ¨BUY NOW¨ buttons, as many as it takes so customers have no doubt as to why they are on your page: to buy your products!

Nobody cares about your content

In the internet marketing world, there is a reason why marketers say content is king. Content is what attracts visitors to your page. It is a way for businesses to show their authority on their product or service.

The more original and engaging your content is, the more traffic your website will potentially receive. Making sure your content has the latest info, reflects the latest trends is the most effective way to ensure your audience will stay engaged and interested in finding out more information.

Your website looks awful on a smart phone

Mobile users shop online a lot more often than desktop users, so if your web design looks clunky on a mobile device, you can expect them to click away from your site within mere seconds.

As if you need any more encouragement, Google recently announced that mobile-friendly websites will rank higher, and those that aren’t, will essentially be buried by search results.

As a matter of fact, most professional web designers begin their web design on a mobile device format first, desktop later.

Even in today’s high-tech world and 3-second attention span customers, first impressions still matter. Your web design is a direct reflection of your business, so make sure it counts. Avoid taking the easy routes; they only end up costing your business money and taking away your peace of mind.

web design concept photo from Shutterstock