It seems like everyone is the best in web design, and there is an internet marketing guru on every street corner. You only have to do a few random searches, and it is easy to see that the majority of websites are put together in tragically poor ways, and the marketing of those sites is atrocious. You don’t have to know too much about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and a little about good web design to know how to at least have a chance of your website being of use for your business.

I have been involved in online marketing and SEO for over a decade, and I am still surprised how many business owners do not understand the basics of having a decent website, and the importance of setting up to be seen by internet users. Here is a look at the biggest and most common mistakes.

Flash-Based Websites
Flash might look great, your website might look impressive, but in terms of Google, it is completely useless. Google cannot read any of the words in your website, it cannot analyse the purpose of your website. What does that mean? Google basically disregards your website. How will someone find your website when they are searching for it on Google, when Google cannot even see your website?

Web Design
Why is creating a simple website so difficult? Internet users are bombarded by a billion messages a second, and they are looking at a computer screen while they have the instant choice to move on. A good website design does not need to be artistic, creative or anything else. It needs to have one simple element, simplicity. Make it simple, and it will be easy to use.

Call to Action
The reason why you have a website for your business is so you can get business. There is no other reason for it. Are you talking about yourself too much? Most websites lack a call to action, and this means they lack consideration for potential clients. A call to action is good customer service as it asks them if they require assistance.

Meta Descriptions
Do a simple search on Google for anything. You will get 10 results per page. Most people only look at the first page of results. How do you make a decision to click on any of those web pages? You decide based on the single descriptive line underneath the website heading. Have a look at this the next time you are on Google, and you will see how useless the meta descriptions are of most websites. The meta description is the first point of contact, and the first chance to get the attention of your potential clients.

SEO
So many business owners still cannot understand the concept of SEO. SEO is not complicated, but it does take a consistent strategy. You are not creating content and links to try and send business to your website, SEO is the business of getting attention of Google for particular words. If you are in the business of car repairs, you want Google to list you on the first page of results when someone types in ‘car repairs’ for a search. If you want to make money from your website, and you really want to take advantage of online marketing, talk to some real professionals. If you don’t, don’t bother with a website.

About the Author: Tom Mallet

Tom Mallet is an Australian freelance writer and journalist. He writes extensively in Australia, Canada, Europe, and the US. He’s published more than 500 articles about various topics, including SEO and online marketing.