The first impression your website makes on a visitor can make or break your business. Your online visitors are your most valuable asset. Without them, there are no potential customers, and without customers, there is no business. However, online visitors can be unpredictable and easily deterred by minor issues on your website. They are like cautious mice, always exploring but ready to scamper away at the first sign of trouble. Your website might be riddled with small issues that are causing hundreds of visitors to leave every week. The moment they perceive you as untrustworthy, they will click away, potentially costing you significant revenue.
Avoid excessive hype and overselling. Maintain a balanced and believable tone. If your venture appears overhyped, people will quickly dismiss it, and you will lose potential customers.
Avoid typos, spelling errors, and sloppy grammar. These are all potential signs that your product might also be poorly made. If you haven't taken the time to perfect your website, visitors might assume that you haven't put much effort into developing your product either.
Missing graphics and broken links can give the impression that your business is failing or that you don't care about your website. It suggests that your site hasn't been maintained, which can make customers worry about the quality of your product and after-sales service.
Never include a line on your pages that says "last updated on xx July 1997". This gives the impression that your site is outdated, even if it was updated recently. If you forget to update that line, visitors might not bother exploring further because they think the information is old. They might even think you're out of business because it's been so long since you updated the content. If it's crucial for your visitors to know that the information is up-to-date, ask your developer to use JavaScript code to automatically display the current date every time the page is loaded.
There's no need to put an "under construction" sign on your website. All websites are constantly being updated. By displaying such a sign, you're giving visitors the impression that you're not ready for their business yet, which is not the message you want to send.
Avoid putting visitor counters on your page. They look unprofessional and can make you seem small and unpopular if the numbers are low. This is not a good impression to give to potential customers.
Don't display small, unknown website awards. There are so many available now that they've become meaningless. If it's a well-known, prestigious award, or if it's relevant to your target audience, then it's worth displaying. Otherwise, don't waste bandwidth displaying an irrelevant logo.
This article is just one of hundreds of original Internet Marketing articles that can be found in Work the Medium. The 200+ page book is divided into sections on Online Selling Strategies, Web Design and Navigation, Marketing Your Web Venture and Building Serious Traffic, Secrets to Search Engine Success, and Affiliate Marketing: The Ultimate Online Sales Force.
