Recently, one of prospective clients contacted us and told us their new website isn’t working and needs to be optimized.

Businesswoman Clearly Unhappy

“I hired a web design company who promised to build me a great website. While it looked good, it cost me about $12,000. Well, I didn’t see the results I was looking for and my website didn’t bring any additional traffic or new customers.”

Why did this happen? Here are some of the most frequent mistakes that contribute to a website failure.

Website Not Optimized for Search Engines

Thinking about SEO as a totally different project is a big mistake. Basic Search Engine optimization should be at the heart of the website, with the pretty presentation built around it. Keyword research, search engine friendly navigation and structure, duplicate content, multiple domains, Google local listing, 301 redirects, semantic markup, HTML and CSS coding, unobtrusive scripting all do matter when designing an optimized website.

Not So Great User Experience

A website success always depends on its visitors. A surprising number of web designers ignore user interaction entirely and base their web design only on a design perspective. This typically results in inappropriate design or just decoration. Web designers are much more than pixel pushers. They have intimate knowledge about the Web and how users interact with it. They also understand user interfaces and design techniques, including grid systems, white space, color theory and much more.

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” – Steve Jobs, Apple

Website Performance Not Measured

You cannot value something you cannot measure. Fortunately, there are numerous metrics you can use to evaluate the impact of the website.

Google Analytics generates insightful charts and reports about the number of visitors, page views, content distribution, traffic sources, keyword report and much more. If you don’t have it installed, how do you know that something needs to be adjusted and improved?

To have a successful website you should know right from the start how to measure the performance of your website. Measuring your site’s success is crucial if you want it to make the biggest online impact. This is because by measuring how often people visit your website you know how well your site is doing online and how well it is appealing to its target audience.

Previous Work and Results Not Checked

Don’t believe everything you are told, but ask for examples and results! Are previous clients happy? Are their websites looking good and professional? Do they have any traffic?

“Can you show me examples of your previous work and share some success stories?”
- Google

Check your web design company portfolio and look for quality and the latest trends and technologies. Ask for adequate contact information, documentation, and explanations.