Top Five Don’ts for Your Website
We try to offer quite a few tips for “Do’s” from the Social Media Incubator team, but today we’re going to switch it up by offering a few “Don’ts,” or things that you should avoid. Let’s take a look at an extremely powerful business tool for companies; a website. While online sites can be very helpful for a brand or company, they can also be harmful if you don’t design/use them correctly! Here are five things NOT to do:
1. Don’t include information on your website or blog that is too personal. Are you wondering how to determine what exactly is “too” personal? Marketing Maverick Caroline Melberg describes it perfectly. “If you wouldn’t be willing to post it on the front page of the New York Times, don’t post it online.” You are really the only one that can determine what you feel comfortable publicizing to everyone.
2. “Don’t use graphics, images or photos that cheapen your brand image,” said Astridita, Designer at C.E.L. Public Relations. “Make sure the images are professional-looking and that they accurately represent your brand, even if they are very simple.”
3. No matter what, do not plagiarize text OR graphics. Both are illegal to use without permission, so make sure you check copyrights, licensing and permission when using copy or images that are not your own.
4. Don’t overload your website with too much copy. This is definitely a time when “less is more.” When visitors on your site have to keep scrolling and searching through a lot of text to find answers, it is very easy for them to lose patience and move on to another page.Remember to keep it simple.
5. Finally, don’t forget to maximize your website with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This will help your site become more visible online to potential clients and can easily increase your return on investment (ROI).
Keep in mind while creating your website that quality should be the most important factor before price. Make sure it’s something that you and your company can be proud of!
Published on: October 20, 2010