10 Digital Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

Internet mistakes — from time to time, we all make them. However, there are definitely a few that are easy to avoid.

Below are 10 Internet marketing mistakes, traps and issues even smart businesses can fall into:

#1: No call-to-action (CTA)

You’ve spent tons of time developing a great website, but your conversions are consistently lower than you expected. What gives?

The problem could lie in having no call-to-action (CTA) on the pages. A CTA is any action you want the visitors to take, from giving you an email address to add to your subscriber list, to buying your newest product. Without a CTA, you’re leaving the visitor to their own devices, which is never wise.

One caveat: Don’t junk up your pages with too many CTAs. One or two very direct CTAs are usually best, rather than a handful.

#2: A slow site

You can’t make up your mind which images you like, so you put them all on your site. After all, the more, the better, right? Wrong.

A slow-loading site is annoying to visitors, and it could get you a lower organic search engine ranking from Google. So scrub up your site by removing anything that’s making it slow down.

#3: Too many options

Parents know giving their kids too many choices is a recipe for trouble. The same premise holds true with Internet marketing.

Make your sales funnel easy to follow and very straightforward. Give visitors choices, but make sure all the choices lead to a positive result for your company.

#4: Terrible content

Whether you’re writing for social media or your blog, be certain your content sings. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you can get away with lousy content.

Pay someone else to write your content if you’re not a natural writer. It’s a better option than losing sales because your content is so lackluster.

#5: Awful headlines

This may seem like part of your content, but it’s worth mentioning on its own. Headlines are what grab people’s attention.

Take the time to go through the headlines on anything you send out, have on your website or write for the web. Awful headlines lead to awful sales.

#6: Clunky website

Think you can get away with that clunky website from five or eight years ago? Think again. Your prospects will immediately notice they’re looking at a dated website. They’ll also assume that if they work with you, the experience will be old-school rather than modern.

#7: Not using and updating social media

Yes, you have to get on social media. It’s just expected in today’s day and age. Most companies have at least a Facebook business page, if not a Twitter page. If you haven’t gotten yours yet, it’s time.

Of course, when you get your social media page, you have an obligation to use it. Don’t let it go dark, or you’ll lose your following. When you’re populating your social media page with posts, break it up by adding some information-related ones, not just sales notifications.

#8: Asking visitors for too much info

Are you trying to get visitors to give you too much personal info when they come to your site? Scale back on what you’re asking and stick to the bare minimum. You’ll get a better return.

#9: Not asking your visitors for any info

Okay, this is the flip side of #8. You make a lot of effort to get your visitors, so be sure you’re asking for at least their email addresses to add to your subscriber list. Then, you can market to them personally, and you don’t have to hope they come back to your site on their own.

#10: Relying too much on one type of Internet marketing

Internet marketing strategies should include several techniques to woo visitors to your business. If you’ve been focused only on one type, such as PPC advertising, you’ll want to investigate others as well. Find the right mix, and your revenue stream will be much healthier and more predictable.

Red in the face? There’s no shame in admitting to having made Internet marketing mistakes. Just move forward with the help of a web marketer who can help you fix your errors and get going in a positive direction.

Source: Agencies Ranked | Posted in SEO In Depth