Websites are the virtual face of any business. With so much competition online, it’s more important than ever to have a strong presence and well-designed website that effectively sells your company, its products or services, and its brand. Unfortunately, not all businesses succeed online. Many websites have serious issues or unaddressed problems that keep visitors from returning or recommending the site to others. Even if you think you have a solid website at the moment, there may be things holding your site back from success. Take time now to identify areas of improvement before things get even worse.

Here are 10 common mistakes websites make - along with advice on how to avoid them in your own site:

Your website has a bad user experience.

Successful websites are easy to navigate and see value in their content quickly. If you’re getting lots of pageviews, but you’re having trouble getting repeat visits or any leads or sales, it might be because of a bad user experience. Visitors might have a hard time finding what they’re looking for, they might be confused by the information they’re reading, or they might get frustrated trying to navigate your site. Do a usability test with a few different types of users. You can also use tools like UserTesting . com to review how real users interact with your site and pinpoint any issues. Once you know what needs fixing, it’s time to take action. Fix confusing pages and navigation, simplify content so it’s easier to read, and make sure the design is intuitive so visitors can find what they’re looking for quickly.

You’re relying on paid advertising to drive traffic to your site.

If you’re relying solely on paid advertising to get visitors to your website, you may have a problem. It can be tempting to spend a chunk of change on a single advertising campaign and expect it to drive tons of traffic to your site. But that’s not how it usually works. Paid advertising can be great for driving traffic if it’s done well. But if your campaign isn’t effective, it’s a waste of money. Focus on building a strong in-house marketing strategy that drives targeted traffic from your network, from social media, from guest posts and other types of content marketing. It’s a slow but effective process that will result in more leads and customers. And you’ll avoid wasting money on ads that don’t work. If you’re seeing promising results from paid ads, though, keep using them. Just make sure you have a strong in-house marketing strategy to support them.

You have a site that looks like it was built in the 2000s.

We’re not saying every website needs a huge revamp, but if your site is dated, it’s a big turnoff. You’ll look out of date, unprofessional, and won’t be taken seriously. It’s okay to keep some aspects of your site the same (like your logo, navigation and content). But you need to update other things, like your design and visuals. If you can’t update your design on your own, hire a designer to help. Or, if you have the skills, consider redesigning your site yourself. There are tons of easy-to-use design programs and tutorials out there that can help, even if you’re a complete beginner. Just remember: your website needs to be more than just visually appealing – it also needs to be functional and useful to visitors. A clean and modern design that’s easy to navigate and quick to load is a must. So, don’t skimp on making your site look modern and appealing.

You don’t track important metrics for your site.

You might be wondering what metrics have to do with a website’s design, functionality, or content. But they are important factors that can help you understand what is or isn’t working on your site. Metrics can include things like pageviews, time on page, bounce rates, lead generation, conversion rates, and more. If you’re not tracking important metrics for your site, you don’t know what’s working and what isn’t. And you don’t know how to improve your site. There are tons of free and low-cost tools you can use to track these metrics. You can track most of these metrics manually. Or you can invest in a web analytics program like Google Analytics. Once you start tracking these metrics, you’ll have a better idea of what improvements to make on your site.

Your website doesn’t have a strong value proposition.

What’s the one word that comes to mind when you think of your company? If you’re like most businesses, you probably can’t pinpoint one word. Or maybe you have several words you use to describe your company. That’s okay. But you need to make sure your website has a strong value proposition. That one word or short phrase that describes what your business does and why someone should care. Without a strong value proposition on your site, you’re missing out on leads and customers who are interested in your product or service, but don’t know how to find you. Your value proposition needs to be easy to find on your homepage and on every other page on the site. It should be crystal clear so your visitors know exactly what you do and why it’s worth their time and money.

Your homepage stinks (or doesn’t exist).

We understand that not every business has a homepage. But if you sell products or services online, you definitely need a homepage. Your homepage is where you can introduce yourself, your company, and what you do and how you do it. It’s also where you can show off your best content and convince visitors that they need what you’re offering. If you don’t have a homepage, or if your homepage stinks, you’re missing out on an important opportunity to engage with and convert website visitors. Take the time to craft a strong, persuasive and memorable homepage that gives an overview of your business. Make sure your homepage features your best and most useful content, like infographics and blog posts that you’ve published. Once you have a homepage, make sure you’re promoting it on your other pages and in your marketing efforts.

Your call-to-action is vague or confusing.

A strong call-to-action (CTA) is essential for converting visitors on your website into leads and customers. If your CTA isn’t clear or actionable, you’re missing out on leads. If your CTA doesn’t make it easy for visitors to take the next step, you’re missing out on leads. A good CTA should be clear and direct. It should also be easy to find on every page of your website. You should have one main call-to-action per page. It should be easy to find and easy to understand, and it should be consistent across your entire website. Each CTA should give your visitor a clear next step to take. If you don’t have a clear CTA on each page of your website, you’re missing out on leads and customers.

Bottom line

Your website is the face of your company. It’s where you make a first impression, and it’s where you can connect with potential customers. This is why it's so important that your website be effective, streamlined and easy to navigate. To make sure your website is as successful as possible, avoid the above common mistakes. By making sure your website has a good user experience, looks modern and stylish, has a strong value proposition, and has clear and actionable CTAs, you’ll be well on your way to success.