How Your Website Could Cause Your Oxford Business to Fail


business

Oxfordshire is becoming better connected. For example, Oxfordshire libraries are increasingly being equipped with Wi-Fi so that more people have the opportunity to get online, wherever they are. Superfast broadband is being rolled out to more homes and businesses, meaning people can get online faster than ever. If you own an Oxfordshire business, you can take advantage of the great internet connections with a useful website. But with great potential to succeed comes the risk of failing. Not every website is well-designed. In extreme cases, a website could actually cause someone to stop buying from a business or go elsewhere. Here are the traps you need to watch out for and avoid in order to have your website work in your favour, not against you.

You Have Flash Intros No One Can Skip

Practically no Oxfordshire business needs a Flash intro on their homepage. The Flash intro is a sight of times past, and it actually causes people to swiftly leave your website, particularly when you can’t skip past the intro to the actual site. If you must have an intro, make sure it is easy to bypass or people will be bypassing you.

Your Whole Site is in Flash

When it comes to web design Oxfordshire businesses have so many design elements and styles to choose from, why would you choose to run the site with a plug-in that many people don’t even have? And which makes the site really hard to use? Smart graphics may make a splash but if people can’t actually navigate the site they are a big fail and will drive people away. Think carefully before using the Flash plug-in.

You Are Not Mobile Friendly

It is increasingly important to have a site that is mobile friendly as more and more Oxfordshire people are accessing the internet on their phones and tablets. If you design for mobile as you design your site you include these people – people you do not want to lose with a site that can’t be viewed on mobile devices. You not only need to allow your site to open on a mobile but you also need to consider layout and font design so that people don’t have to enlarge or reduce the size of the text in order to be able to read it.

Your Contact Forms Don’t Offer a Response

When people sign up though an online contact form you have gained a valuable lead – don’t waste it. People expect confirmation of their action whether they are signing up for a newsletter or asking a question. For simple sign-ups, a simple email welcome is great. If people have questions you need to respond to them, particularly if they come via direct message.

There’s No Contact Information

Don’t leave visitors hanging, wondering where they need to go to visit your shop or how to call you to make an appointment. It seems obvious, but you need direct, relevant contact information that is easily accessible on your site. Allow people to easily contact you. If they have to work for it, they will go elsewhere.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net