4 Common Myths About Websites Debunked
Businesses nowadays need to have an easily accessible website, not only for existing customers to shop for the products they want but also for potential buyers to browse through the products that they could buy. According to a study, 81% of people today check first the business or the manufacturer’s web page prior to making a purchase. So, having a website is really important. It will give your company a significant competitive edge against the big dogs in the industry.
For those who have products to sell or services to offer, all the more you need to have a website that serves as a portal for buyers to shop for your products online. E-commerce is a continuously growing industry, comprising about 16% of retail purchases. Since 2001, online sales are growing by more than 300%, while retail purchases from department stores have dropped by 50%. Many experts estimate that by 2040, 90% of retail purchases will come from e-commerce. So, if your products do not have a website yet, you are definitely way out of the league with the top brands in the marketplace.
However, having a website is not enough to guarantee the competitiveness of your products. There are critical design factors and website management protocols you need to follow and maintain. Otherwise, you are not making the best out of our online presence, still resulting in poor results.
So, let’s take a quick look at the four habitual mistakes due to misconceptions about websites. Below are the common myths debunked.
1. Homepage Design is Everything
While it’s true that homepage design is critical in creating credibility and in capturing more website visitors to browse through the pages aside from the homepage. — But it is not everything. You should also maintain excellent design all throughout the website, including the pages and blog posts. The homepage is not the only thing that matters, but everything about the website.
Not all visitors will enter your website through the homepage. Some, if not many of them, will enter through the pages. It could be the landing page, the product page, or the blog posts. It depends on the keywords your site is ranked at the top of the search engine result pages (SERPs).
The homepage may have a poor ranking in the SERPs for your main keywords. But if one of the pages, or a blog post, for instance, has a good ranking in Google for a popular keyword, your website will still enjoy huge traffic. That’s why it is essential to maintain an excellent design throughout the pages. What is everything in designs is not just the home page but the whole website.
2. There’s No Need for Blog Posts
Even today, there are still many websites of big companies that do not have a blog post section. So, many still believe that there’s no need for blog posts anymore on the website. Blogging may look like a thing of the past for others, but the truth is blogging remains everything today. In fact, statistics show that about 77% of internet users nowadays read blog posts.
Adding a blog section to your website with regular updates can increase site traffic by as much as 434%. One of the ranking parameters by search engine robots is the number of indexed pages on a website. — The more the better the rank. So, having blog posts regularly will make your site more visible to your online audience and increase the chances of getting a better ranking.
When it comes to blog posts, they should accompany relevant images. Blog posts with images can fetch up to 94% more views than those posts with pure texts. Also, images provide more opportunities for the readers to share on various social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Thus, adding more chances for getting more views. That’s the importance of the blog post section. It provides a shareability feature that adds more website traffic. Simultaneously, it serves as an excellent venue for regular updates to keep your site competitive in the search engines.
3. Accessibility Means Mobile Friendly
For most website owners, accessibility is mainly associated with how your site renders with mobile gadgets and devices. Although it is important since about 52.2% of traffic comes from mobile devices, there’s actually more to accessibility beyond mobile-friendly.
It also needs an outstanding user-friendly interface that makes it quick and easy to navigate. You should add the necessary links on the homepage toward the important pages and sections. Many site owners miss the keyboard-friendly part, which allows users to navigate around without a mouse.
4. You Don’t Need Website Experts Anymore Once Your Site is Live
If you’re someone who’s busy managing your business, from sales and marketing to product packaging, handling, and deliveries, managing a website is far from your concerns. That’s why you need website experts to handle the job more efficiently and competitively. The common myth around websites is that once it is up and live, that’s it and you’re done.
But the truth is, you may be doing a good job but you’re still far from being excellent to stay on top of the game. You still need to add regular high-value blog posts that your site visitors will not only enjoy reading but keep coming back for more updates. If you have a new product offering or an upcoming big sale event, publishing a post about the new offer or event can make a big difference.
Aside from regular publishing of blog posts, having a website expert manage your site will give you the assurance that every link is still workable and live, new posts are relevant and SEO-optimized, and the website speed remains as fast as it was during launch. You also need someone to take care of the legal aspects of having a website, which includes compliance with the ICT Accessibility 508 Standards and 255 Guidelines. Plus, there is the SEO part, which is a broad matter. So give yourself a break! Get an expert to do the job.
In a Nutshell
Having a website is already a significant milestone for any business to stay competitive in the highly digital world we live in today. However, it’s not enough to stay on top of the game. The myths you know about websites are not always false beliefs. In fact, some are still good practices. But the world is constantly evolving, the landscape regularly changes, and website visitors have varying demands. What may work before may no longer work today. Unless you are currently involved in digital marketing, website management, and the SEO sphere, having an expert manage your site could be the best option so you can focus more on your business.