5 Common Website Mistakes That Damage Customers’ Trust in Your Brand

Every brand needs a website to operate effectively in the modern marketplace, but if it isn’t up to scratch then this can go from being an asset to a liability in a heartbeat.

To avoid this, here are some of the most frequently made mistakes in the world of business websites that you need to know about and steer clear of at all costs.

Mistake: Not Having an SSL Certificate

SSL certificates are essential for any website. They encrypt data and provide a secure connection between your site and the customer’s browser, which gives customers peace of mind when they enter sensitive information on your website.

Without this certification, customers may be wary about inputting their confidential details into your site due to security concerns. Furthermore, if you don’t have an SSL certificate installed on your site, it can hurt its ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs) as Google now penalizes websites that aren’t using HTTPS encryption. As such it’s about SEO and brand awareness as much as anything else.

Mistake: Unclear or Confusing Navigation

Your website’s navigation should be intuitive and easy to use. When customers arrive at your site, they need to have a clear understanding of how it works and where different types of content can be found.

Poorly designed navigation can result in customers becoming frustrated, or giving up altogether as they struggle to find what they are looking for. This could lead them to distrusting your brand if their experience is seen as too difficult or confusing on the surface level, leading them away from any potential purchases.

To ensure a positive user experience (UX), establish an organized site design hierarchy, with simple labels that make sense from the customer perspective, rather than just listing out all page titles haphazardly.

Mistake: A Website That’s Down or Very Slow to Load

In today’s fast-paced world, customers expect websites to be quick and responsive. That’s why you need reliable, fast and easy web hosting from a provider like NameHero.

If your website takes too long to load, it can cause visitors to become frustrated and leave without ever engaging with the content you have created. In addition, if your website is down altogether due to server issues or other technical problems, this will not only drive away potential customers, but also damage their trust in your brand, as they will view it as unreliable.

Aside from having a reputable hosting provider, you should also make sure that there are proactive measures in place to avoid outages, such as implementing regular backups of data, so that recovery can be catalyzed.

Mistake: A Lack of Contact Information

Making it easy for customers to contact you should be a priority. Without any contact information, your website may come off as untrustworthy and unreliable.

Customers want to know that if they have questions or concerns, there is someone who can help them with these issues quickly and efficiently. If this information isn’t clearly visible on the page, then customers may look elsewhere for their goods or services, so include all relevant details to allow them to get in touch.

Mistake: Outdated Content and Broken Links

If customers come to a page that’s filled with outdated information, or if they click on a link only for it to take them nowhere, this will send out the wrong message about your business. It could suggest that you don’t care enough about their experience to update the website regularly.

To ensure customer confidence is maintained, make sure all content is up-to-date and relevant to their needs, as well as checking regularly that all internal and external links are still active.

Wrapping Up

These website issues all have simple solutions, so there really is no excuse for allowing your site to be second-rate, or for trust in your business to be damaged as a result.