Top 5 Mistakes Small Business Websites Make

As a small business owner your website is a critical piece that attracts and informs customers, and in many cases the website IS your entire business. Sometimes small business owners don't give the design of their website as high of a priority as it should be. This makes it difficult for people to use, and therefore they loose out on sales. Here are the Top 5 problems that small business owners make:

Number 5: Poor grammar and spelling

This sounds like an easy one to fix, but unfortunately it happens way to often. Seeing mistakes (especially spelling errors) is a big turn off to many customers because it makes them feel like the website was done in a hurry with no care to detail. A customer may think if that is how a company treats an important marketing tool. They might think 'how would they treat a customer' ? There are easy solutions to this. There are paid tools that you can use to scan your website and and send you reports on spelling issues if your website is already live. The best solution is too stimply use a word processor that can check for simple spelling and grammar errors.

Number 4: Unusable on popular mobile devices

There is no doubt that smartphones and tablets are becoming more and more popular. Gartner predicts that mobile devices will overtake PCs as the most common web access device by 2013. These devices are allowing customers to use technology on-the-go. It s a shame that so many mom and pop places have utilized web designers that created entire websites that are completely unusable on mobile devices. This means customers that are searching for more information about the products or services you offer are simply just going to use a competitor that doesn't have this problem. This problem is really apparent with many restaurants and bars.

Number 3: Poor taste

Some small business owners want to put so many bells and whistles on their site, that their website starts to look comical, rather than a professional website hoping to attract new business. Now, I m not talking about poor user interface design (we ll talk about that in a minute), I m simply talking about websites that have poor taste. One of the sites that stick out in my mind is www.vacaway.com. The overly utilized flash-based animation, and lack of a clear sales message sends customers to competitors that help individuals understand what products it offers and the differences between them.Oh, and btw if you think their home page is bad, then you probably won't want to visit their product page. Your website should be clean and simple. Animation and motion design is not necessary a bad thing if done the right way, but there is a difference between annoying designs that use animation for no purpose and one that is done the right way and has a purpose.

Number 2: Lack of content

People come to your small business for one of two reasons. Either they are looking to make a direct purchase, or they are looking for information. If your website doesn't have the content that customers want then your website serves little or no purpose. Information doesn't have to be only in text. Your information could be in the form of a video which many people actually prefer, but you must provide your customers with appropriate content.

Number 1: Poor UI (user experience)

This is the number one reason because ppor UI design has contributed more to the loss of revenue than almost any other reason that I've listed here today. I could present quite a few examples of poor UI design, but I doubt any would come close to this. When customers can't figure out where to go to perform a certain action they will leave. Statistics show that customers will wait between 4-7 seconds before they decide whether the site will provide them with the information they are looking for.  If customers have difficultly using your site they will not stick around, and you will loose revenue.

It s critically important that your website creates a positive first impression, and ensures that a customer can easily research the information they are looking for, and find a way to purchase the product or service that they are interested in buying. For some companies, that can be as simple as a contact form, but for eCommerce websites it is important that customers can easily find a way to research and purchase your product or service without having to stare at a sitemap or a diagram.

Design matters!

For more information on how Tonangi Design & Media can create a website or produce a video for business visit www.tonangi.com

 Vinod Tonangi | www.tonangi.com | phone: 201.252.7265 | fax: 619.566.4043

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You really only get one chance to make a first impression

Tonangi Media & Design originally focused on producing videos for the internet and television, but many of our small business customers had a problem that we couldn't simply ignore any longer - their website. 

Many times your website is the absolute first interaction that customers have with your company. Some businesses do not feel that their website is of any great importance, especially when they have a brick & mortar store where they expect their customer to make their first impression of their business. However in today's world this is simply not the case.

Customers are using technology to find businesses that offer the products and services that they want and ultimately a customer uses your website to determine if you can offer the product or service that they are looking to purchase. There are many factors that a small business should consider when designing (or redesigning) their website. This includes: colors, branding, usability, typography, layout, and overall quality of your presentation. Even though there are some do-it-yourself templates usually offered by hosting companies, these typically do not take make use of up to date technology and can make your website seem amateurish. Another problem is that many of these templates simply don't work on mobile devices such as iPhones and iPads. There have been many times I have been walking around looking for a place to eat or drink and when I try to visit a restaurant or bar's website it's completely unusable on my mobile device. So I do what most people do -  I simply just try the next closest place. Those businesses probably don't think that their website is very important, but if customers can't see the content on their website then they are not going to visit your establishment.

So now that we have established that your website should be considered a priority, what can you do about it? Even if you happen to know HTML, CSS, and Javascript do you really have the time to design and code a website that can be used on virtually every device? Do you know how to create a website that is Google-friendly? The solution is to hire a professional to design your site with your needs in mind. This does not have to be an expensive undertaking, nor does it need to take months to accomplish.

Tonangi Media & Design has added web design and development to the services that we can be provide. Over the past two years, we've seen small businesses struggle with their website, and we have made redesigns for companies that have utilized us for video production in the past. This change comes naturally, as I, Vinod Tonangi (founder of Tonangi Design & Media), have been creating websites since 1999. Tonangi Design & Media  can develop your website, create a video for use on television and the web, and advertise your company using various methods.

For more information on how Tonangi Design & Media can create a website for business visit www.tonangi.com

 Vinod Tonangi | www.tonangi.com | phone: 201.252.7265 | fax: 619.566.4043

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Is outsourcing overseas worth it for small businesses?

Many small businesses are considering outsourcing their work overseas to save money on their marketing, development, and other labor costs. Outsourcing is a viable option in many cases, but not all. If clients know exactly what they want then outsourcing might be the best option due to the savings in labor. However, in some cases a project could be so complex that the constant back & forth discussions between the client and the overseas developer might outweigh the potential savings from outsourcing a project overseas. Language barriers, culture differences, and a lack of familiarity with American consumers are common problems when solutions are outsourced. If a business does not have a clear understanding of what is needed, and frequent modifications are required then working with a developer overseas could not only be frustrating, but more costly.

If you are a small business that wants a website that is both functional and creative for a largely American demographic, and the development does not need 100+ hours of labor then it might be cost effective and less frustrating to work with a company in the states. For most companies your website is the first interaction a potential customer has with your product or service. Trying to save a few thousand dollars on the creative and development processes of your website (or other project) can be extremely short sighted, and costly adjustments may be required to appropriately fit your target demographic. On the other hand if you are a business and you need frequent manual updates, or your project is very labor intensive then outsourcing will most likely be your best option. It's up to to the business to decide what is right for them based on their needs. Get multiple quotes, review portfolios, and talk to the developer's previous customers before a decision is made.

Saving a few thousand up front can cost you millions in the long run, and spending too much money on development can leave you with very little money for marketing and attracting your customers to your website, or other place of business.

Vinod Tonangi | www.tonangi.com | phone: 201.252.7265 | fax: 619.566.4043

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