Your Web site may be a critical part of your outreach effort to customers, so are you putting your best site forward? Forbes.com recently highlighted some of the biggest mistakes small businesses make with their web design. Make sure you don’t fall for any of these traps, which may send potential customers clicking away: 

Failing to target your market. 

Research your target audience and design your site around that audience. Make sure the content addresses the needs of your target audience. Also, ensure the presentation of your web site fits your audience too. For example, if you tend to work with younger buyers, is your site smartphone-compatible?  

Missing a call to action. 

So you have visitors coming to your site, what do you want them to do? If it’s to contact you or subscribe to your e-newsletter, you need to make that clear and highlight it. 

Getting too flashy. 

“Flashy web sites don’t look good on mobile phones or tablets, and a large majority of Internet users now visit Web sites from these wireless devices,” the article notes. You have about three seconds when someone visits your Web site to give them what they want. As such, make sure you know why they are likely coming to your site, and cater your site to fulfilling that need.

Falling behind. 

If your site looks out of date, customers may assume that you are no longer active in the business or that you aren’t as up-to-date as your competition. Be sure to update your site as things in the business change too. If you blog, update it at least once a week, which can help drive visitors to your site and boost your SEO.  

“Also, avoid putting links to your Facebook or Twitter pages if you only have a small following,” the article notes. “People may think your business is too small and end up not hiring you.”

Read more Web site blunders at Forbes.com. 

Source: “Top 7 Web Design Mistakes Small Businesses Make,” Forbes (March 27, 2012)