Does Your Website Have A “Warning Label” On It?

Posted on:

March 10, 2015

Hint: Google may think so…

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make when it comes to their online marketing is not keeping their website current – a mistake that, believe it or not, can prove costly by encouraging your site visitors to look elsewhere, or worse yet, not getting visits from Google in the first place.

I know it’s unrealistic to expect all businesses, especially smaller ones, to be able to update their websites consistently. So fortunately, our web experts at Market Hardware put together a list of three items to always keep in mind when updating your site.

Make sure all your contact information is correct – total ‘duh,’ right?
Do yourself a favor. Go to your website and find all the email addresses and phone numbers on there. Make sure all of those are still in use and actively checked. It’s amazing how many businesses list an email address on their site that causes an error when someone tries to email it, or if the email does go through, just isn’t checked by anyone at the business. Be sure that you have the appropriate email forwards set up so that you don’t miss anything.As for phone numbers, many businesses set up separate phone lines to track marketing efforts. This is a useful tactic but can prove detrimental if one of those lines is deactivated and your Website isn’t updated to reflect it.
Does your website display ‘smartly’ on a smartphone?
Looking for a way to turn customers away from your website? Make sure that your site is difficult to read on a phone! Your customers will look elsewhere before you know it.This is a bit of a more complex update than the first two items on this list, but it’s so important, it can’t be ignored. Some estimates show that as much as 50% of traffic to your Website may come from smartphones as opposed to computers. Whether you set up a separate, mobile version of your site, or you build a responsive site, in 2015, you have to have a mobile presence to make sure you’re not losing customers to competitors. To see an example of an ACCA member’s Mobile site, check out www.guinservice.com.
And, Google is now drawing attention to sites that are ‘mobile-friendly,’ so if your site doesn’t receive that designation, you’re giving your competitors a leg up in search rankings.
Keep your accreditations and certifications up to date
Picture this scenario: A potential client visits your site and sees that you’re a certified Carrier dealer. They call you to buy a specific unit only to find out you stopped installing that brand years ago. Any credibility you may have had thanks to your professional Website is now out the window because it’s obviously outdated.It’s always wise to list accreditations and certifications on your site, but be sure to keep them up to date. If one of those no longer applies, remove it from your site. It may seem worthwhile to continue to list them, but it’s simply not worth the risk of appearing dishonest.Keeping your online imagine up to date may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. If your time and resources are limited, stick to the basics and work your way up from there. Take some time after reading this to evaluate your website on each of these three items, and call your website provider ASAP if you need to fix any of them. Your success depends on it.

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Brian Kraff

President at Market Hardware, Inc.

Brian is a co-founder of Market Hardware. He is a member of the ‘club’ of Internet media executives who are tapped into the daily changes of how the internet affects all small businesses. Brian is a frequent speaker at Industry and Association tradeshow conferences. He was an integral part of the group of marketing experts who pioneered the pay-per-click model in 1996, the pay-per-lead model in 1997, and has been at the forefront of getting customers from the Web ever since. Prior to founding Market Hardware, Brian was the founder and CEO of eStudentLoan, the world's largest comparison marketplace for student loans. His role as a Founder and Chairman of 13 Colonies Software (now part of Interwoven/Autonomy) was a highlight of his experience in the Enterprise Web Content Management space. Brian has a B.A. from Cornell University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.