Is your website not performing as well as you’d hoped? Or perhaps you’re not even sure? Whether you’re struggling to attract visitors and/or sell your artwork, it might be time to take a closer look at your website and identify these BIG mistakes that could be holding you back. Here are the top 9 website mistakes you need to fix right now.

From slow loading times, lack of human connection to confusing navigation, these common errors can have a significant impact on the user experience and ultimately, your business success. Let’s explore each mistake in detail, providing actionable tips and expert advice on how to rectify them.

Whether you’re a small creative business owner or a blogger, avoiding these website mistakes is essential for maximizing your online presence and driving conversions. The good news is that with the right strategies and a little bit of effort, you can turn your website into a powerful marketing tool that effectively engages your target audience.

Last year, I decided to redesign my entire website so that it can work for me while I’m working on more paintings. A good website brings traffic to your site organically and that’s exactly what we’re going to discuss here today!

So, if you’re ready to put your site to work, let’s get started and fix those website mistakes!

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Importance of a website for businesses

In today’s digital age, having a website is crucial for any business. It serves as the online face of your brand and acts as a 24/7 storefront, accessible to potential customers from around the world. A well-designed and properly optimized website can help you establish brand credibility, attract new customers, and generate sales. Remember, as an artist selling art online your website must contain ALL the information a potential customer needs to trust in you and purchase a piece of artwork.

Therefore, simply having a website is not enough. It needs to be optimized for both search engines and users and be relatable to your ideal customer. This is where many businesses make mistakes that hinder their online success.

Common website mistakes

Slow website loading speed

One of the most common website mistakes is having a slow loading speed. Unfortunately, we’ve become a very impatient group of humans…and we have little patience for websites that take too long to load. Research has shown that a one-second delay in page load time can result in a 7% reduction in conversions.

To fix this mistake, start by optimizing your images and compressing them without compromising their quality. Depending on your website platform, there are various image optimizer plugins and check-tools that you can add to your site to help you diagnose and reduce image file sizes. Another useful thing to do (that I just recently went through on my own site) is to remove any fonts that have been uploaded via your theme or google fonts that you’re not using. Some of these fonts have a MASSIVE impact on your site speed.

Poor website design and navigation

Another common website mistake is having a poor design and confusing navigation. Your website’s design should be visually appealing, professional, and consistent with your brand identity. A cluttered or unattractive design can instantly turn off visitors and make it difficult for them to find what they’re looking for.

Ensure that your website’s navigation is intuitive and easy to use and that users can find your artwork quickly, if your main goal is to sell art for example. Use clear and descriptive labels for your menu items and organize your content in a logical manner. Include a search bar to help users quickly find specific information.

Lack of mobile optimization

This is still mind blowing to me! So many of my clients have absolutely no idea how to optimize their site for mobile even when most of us access sites on our phones, we still design them on our computers. Having a mobile-optimized website is no longer an option – it’s a necessity. Mobile optimization ensures that your website looks and functions well on all devices, regardless of screen size. Be sure to check all your pages and load times for mobile, it will be the thing that will make or break your organic traffic.

A common mistake is failing to make your website responsive, meaning it automatically adjusts its layout to fit different screen sizes. This can result in a poor user experience on mobile devices, leading to high bounce rates and lost conversions.

To fix this mistake, use a responsive website design that adapts to different screen sizes. Optimize your images and videos to load quickly on mobile devices. Test your website’s mobile-friendliness using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool and make necessary adjustments.

Ineffective call-to-action (CTA) buttons

Your website’s call-to-action (CTA) buttons play a crucial role in driving conversions and giving visitors a reason to stay on your site. However, many websites make the mistake of having ineffective or poorly placed CTAs. A weak CTA can fail to motivate visitors to take the desired action, resulting in missed opportunities.

To fix this mistake, ensure that your CTAs are clear, compelling, and prominently displayed. Use action-oriented language that clearly communicates the benefits of taking the desired action. Experiment with different button colors, sizes, and placements to find what works best for your audience.

The 9 Website Mistakes You Need to Fix Right Now

Missing or outdated content

Maybe you’ve made so many adjustments and updates to your site, that you’ve lost a lot of links… this happens! Having missing or outdated content on your website can give the impression that your business is not active or worse, unreliable. It can also negatively impact your search engine rankings. Regularly updating your website with fresh and relevant content is crucial for attracting and retaining visitors.

Review your website’s content and identify any pages that are outdated or no longer serve a purpose. Remove or update these pages accordingly. Create a content strategy that includes regular blog posts, news updates, and other relevant content to keep your website fresh and engaging.

Ignoring SEO best practices

I write about this a lot! Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential for improving your website’s visibility in search engine results and driving organic traffic. Ignoring SEO best practices is a common mistake that can prevent your website from ranking well and reaching its full potential.

To fix this mistake, conduct keyword research to identify relevant keywords and incorporate them naturally into your website’s content. Optimize your meta tags, headings, and URLs. Build high-quality backlinks from reputable websites. Regularly monitor your website’s performance using tools like Google Analytics to identify areas for improvement. I can also help you assess your website’s current SEO ranking and find solutions to help you improve this quite quickly!

Lack of analytics and tracking

Or maybe you have a site, but have no idea how it’s actually doing…

Failing to track and analyze your website’s performance is a mistake that can prevent you from making data-driven decisions. You’re also missing a huge opportunity to get to know your customer better. Analytics and tracking tools provide valuable insights into your website’s traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates.

Install a web analytics tool like Google Analytics to track important metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, and conversion rate. Set up goals and track user interactions to understand how visitors are engaging with your website. Use this data to identify areas for improvement and make data-driven optimizations.

Incomplete Artist Bio

One of the biggest mistakes we make as artists is we almost completely skip over this step and get right to the art, but this is the most important way to connect to a potential buyer. They need to know who they’re buying art from.

To read all about how to write a powerful bio page, head over here!

The Artwork is hard to find or missing!

Often we’re too shy when it comes to sharing our work so it takes a visitor a few steps to actually get to what they’re on your site to find, the artwork! Make your work front and centre and easy to find on your site.

Make it available right after your initial introduction or banner as well as easily found in your navigation bar. Another great tip is to include “related artwork”, or a ‘you might also like” feature at the bottom of each page so that you promote browsing and finding the piece they really fall in love with.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to fix the top 9 artist website mistakes discussed:

1. Identify and prioritize the website mistakes that are most relevant to your business.

2. Perform a website audit to assess the current state of your website and identify areas for improvement.

3. Develop an action plan with specific goals and timelines for fixing each mistake.

4. Optimize your website’s loading speed by compressing images, minifying files, and using optimization plugins to help.

5. Improve your website’s design and navigation by ensuring a visually appealing design and intuitive navigation.

6. Make your website mobile-friendly by using responsive design, optimizing images, and testing for mobile-friendliness.

7. Enhance your call-to-action (CTA) buttons by making them clear, compelling, and prominently displayed.

8. Regularly review and update your website’s content to keep it fresh and relevant.

9. Implement SEO best practices by conducting keyword research, optimizing meta tags, and building high-quality backlinks.

10. Install and configure web analytics tools to track and analyze your website’s performance, and use the data to make data-driven optimizations.

By following these steps and addressing the top 10 website mistakes, you can significantly improve your website’s performance and user experience.

The 10 Website Mistakes You Need to Fix Right Now

Custom Web Design

If you’re looking to create a powerful website that works for you while you create, each of my tailored website projects incorporates a holistic approach to web design. Beyond receiving a customized WordPress site, you’ll also benefit from a comprehensive branding and customer kit and SEO-optimized website content, including personalized low-competition keywords designed to help your site rank on google faster!

I also have a few resources that can help you get started and really narrow down what your business is about and who to share it with. 

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ABOUT THIS POST

This post is written by Donata Delano – A Professional Artist, Graphic Designer and Architect based in Canada and Mexico. She specializing in visual communication and web design, creating branding solutions and websites that are thoughtful, unique and aesthetically pleasing.

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