Mistakes

Everything that we do nowadays is online.

And business is no different.

Which is why we’re here to tell you what the most common mistakes are when you’re building an online presence for your brand and how to avoid them.

Common mistakes to avoid while building an online presence

According to the Bright Local, 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business.

#1. Spending a lot of money on a fancy website:

True, you should have an amazing website, but that doesn’t mean that you need to spend a butt load of money on it.

An initial expenditure of a small amount to let your customers and client know about you is all that you really need.

Think of the worst case scenario! What if your company doesn’t do well? I don’t wish that at all, I’m just saying.

But there are some things that actually require you to spend some money on. Let’s take a look.

  • Domain name
  • Business email address
  • Website building software
  • Website hosting
  • Website template design
  • Logo design

Basically, there isn’t a point in you making an all expensive site right in the beginning. You can simply upgrade your site when need be.

The first expense after these essential things should be an email service provider. Always get the best service providers, this is what drives your sales. The best options are MailChimp and constant contact. They go toe-to-toe when compared with each other but you can’t go wrong with either. The choice depends on your needs and taste.

When it comes high-quality stock pictures there are many choices like Shutterstock and pexels. At the start, don’t waste your limited budget on these wallet heavy options. There are free alternatives like pikwizard that you can start with.

#2. Not bothering with your website:

At the end of the day, everything is up to Google.

When you aren’t sure of things – that’s the first thing that you do. You “Google it.”

And the same goes for your business. As there are a lot of people out there who don’t use social media, nor do they go to networking events; they always Google things first.

You need to ensure that you keep updating your website frequently so that it appears on Google.

Be updated on the latest trends and changes in the algorithm. Try your best to rank your website. Without traffic, there is no business.

#3. Overlooking the importance of perception:

This is one of the most common mistakes that people make while building their websites.

You need to make sure that you provide the right contact information on your site so that your customers and prospects can contact you.

You could put in your landline number on your site and your e-mail address as well.

You can link your e-mail address to your site so that its easy for you to get notified when anyone tries to contact you.

#4. Not Niching down:

Have you heard of the phrase, “When you’re busy making plans, life has other plans for you?”

Well, that holds true here.

That’s because when you’re starting off your business, you’ll get all sorts of clients that are catering to different niches.

But when your business grows, you’ll need to narrow down your niche. And this is probably one of the most important things that you have to keep in mind: who you want to cater to; and what niche is the best for you and your business.

#5. Your branding element doesn’t match your brand image:

It’s amazing if you keep your font, colour, voice etc. consistent.

Which is why you need to make sure that you these elements match the tone of your business.

Take McDonald’s, for instance. They’re known for their iconic red and yellow logo. What if you ended up swapping the red with blue and the yellow with white.

It doesn’t fit the tone of the brand right.

Which is why you need to find something that is you in your brand.

#6. Your customers and prospects can’t find you online:

As we already know, everything happens on the internet.

And you need to make sure that your brand is visible on all the basic social media websites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc.

If you aren’t on these sites then you are bound to lose out on a great deal of traffic, engagement, and followers!

#7. Your logo or other marketing elements are unprofessional:

It all comes down to marketing DIY.

But! Unless you have some kickass design skills, it’d be best if you get a professional to do it for you.

If you’re on a budget, then you could Google “cheap logo design” and you’re all set.

These are some of the most common mistakes that people make while building an online presence.

But then again, what’re the impacts of these mistakes on the owners (you) of the brand.

How do these mistakes affect the owner

According to the Denver Post, half of the U.S.adults Google someone before doing business with them.

Which is why its safe to say that having reviews about you and your business is the most important thing. And you have to make sure that the reviews are positive.

Let’s take a look at how online presence affects you as an owner of a business.

  1. Having an online presence can you reach out to more people
  2. It helps you build a stronger brand
  3. Increases your credibility as a business
  4. Helps you maintain and manage your reputation

But of course, mistakes do happen. And that’s why you need to know how you could avoid these mistakes as well.

How do you avoid common mistakes

Let’s take a look at some tips on how you can avoid the common mistakes that we’ve mentioned above.

  1. Proper marketing is the key to your business’s success
  2. Make sure that you have a substantial investment of money, time, and lots of hard work
  3. Only use “white hat” SEO techniques
  4. Ensure that you target well-defined personas for the “right” traffic for your business.

CONCLUSION

Though these are some of the most common mistakes that you could make, I’m sure that you’ll keep an eye out for more mistakes that you could avoid.

But, last but not least, do you make any of these mistakes?

Do let us know what, and don’t forget to share the love (:

Author Bio:
Adi helps with the growth of the ecommerce-platforms blog and is the Founder and Chief Growth Officer at Growthetics, an ROI focused growth hacking agency.