Making a website is tough business. You need to understand exactly what components make other people want to buy from you, and you need a way to make yourself visible through search engines to attract local customers. Are you qualified to build your own company website to make it visible to all the people in the world? There’s a good chance that you might not have the skills, and that’s where professional help comes in. Regardless of which way you go in terms of your website design, there are plenty of things to avoid. You might need to tell a local web design company this or use this advice for when you design your own website.

Let’s take a look at some mistakes that people make all too often when they design their websites.

Making Your Website Sound Generic and Cliche

When you visit a local company’s website online, which ones are you more likely to buy from, the ones that use regurgitated copy or the ones that use creative words to make you laugh or think about a time in your life when something happened to you?

People are emotional beings, meaning that you need to connect with them on a different level. When you use personal stories and share instances that other people can connect to you have a better chance of selling something.

Using Stock Photography That Doesn’t Show Your Business in Action

Stock photography is fine for some people, but if you really want to stand out it’s important to use photography as an opportunity to share the inside of your business. When you share an image on your blog do you think people want to see another random picture of a businessman working or a shot of your support team hard at work?

Forgetting About the Components that Really Push People to Buy

There are very simple components on a website that make people purchase your products or services. Call to actions, buttons at the top of your page and contact information all help push people through your doors or into your online shopping cart. Think about how the big companies utilize their website space and copy them with your locally targeted website. Amazon is known for recommending additional products after someone buys something. Zappos offers videos to really show people how shoes and other products work, even if they seem a bit simple.

When you miss out on these purchase opportunities you miss out on business. Make sure your website is filled with opportunities to guide your customers and make them feel like they want to buy something.

Let us know in the comments section if you have any questions about the common mistakes people make on their websites. Share your thoughts and try to help other people out with your suggestions and critiques. Do you have any specific questions that might help your own website?