Has traffic on your website suddenly nosedived or steadily declined? Is your content dropping in search engine rankings and you’re not sure why? More importantly, are you losing customers or ad revenue?
If your answer is “yes!” to any of these questions, you definitely have website issues that need addressing. As a website owner, there are many components that you need to juggle. It’s so easy to let some things slide.
The big question is, which issue is adversely affecting user experience on your website?
If you’re not a web designer or tech-savvy, that might not be an easy question to answer. However, there are a few common website issues that are most likely to be the reason for your troubles.
Information from https://www.searchbloom.com/ppc-management/ will show you how to manage PPC advertisement and might help resolve the website’s common issues.
No HTTPS Certificate
Websites with a URL that begins with “HTTP” and not “HTTPS” means it doesn’t have an SSL security certificate.
Previously, only websites that asked for any personal information needed a security certificate. But nowadays, search engines like Google are getting stricter with seemingly non-secure websites. They prefer to rank secure websites higher in search results.
Solution: Browse your website as a visitor and see if it has a padlock before the URL and “HTTPS” at the beginning. If it does, your website has an SSL certificate. So this is not one of your website issues.
If it doesn’t, contact your hosting company to get one. This is usually a free or minimal fee service because it’s a common and straightforward request.
Too Many 404 Errors
404 errors are a type of website error that occurs when internet users try to access your site through a broken link or a webpage that doesn’t exist on your website anymore.
Receiving too many 404 errors from your website severely damages the digital experience for your users.
Solution: There are several different software options and resources to help you fix 404 errors. One free option is using Google Search Console, which crawls and keeps a list of these types of website errors.
You can then install a redirect Plugin (depending on your content management system) on your website to fix these errors.
Broken Links
Similarly, if your users are clicking links from your website to other sites you have linked to, but they are also broken, this can damage the user experience. It may give your potential customers the impression your site is not kept up-to-date.
Solution: Regularly check important links are still active by clicking on them yourself. But if you have a huge back catalog of blog posts and content, this is potentially unrealistic.
However, you can also install Plugins that will detect broken links on your site. They will alert you if there are errors, so you don’t need to test every link yourself.
No SEO Strategy
Search Engine Optimization is a series of techniques applied to a webpage with the ultimate goal of increasing traffic to that webpage from search engines. It’s extremely vital for enterprise brands to have a good SEO strategy.
But it’s difficult to determine whether your SEO strategy is good or bad. Some of your webpages may be well optimized, and some might not. But having an SEO strategy at all is a good start!
Solution: Watch out for new Google algorithm updates to keep on top of new SEO developments. Utilize expert advice and use well-reviewed SEO software and keyword planners.
Slow Webpage Speed
One of the biggest website technical issues is slow page speed. Search engines are cracking down on it and waiting a long time for a website to load is a huge turn-off to customers.
There are many reasons why your webpage speed might be slow, so the website solutions will depend on those reasons.
Solution: Use speed calculators like PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to measure your page speed. If your page speed is slow, both programs will tell you exactly why and what you need to fix.
Page speed can get a bit technical. So if you have the money, outsource a page speed consultant. If not, it’s worth learning about because page speed is very important to search engines and your customers!
Outdated Web Design
It’s not 1998 anymore. There is no excuse for usability issues on a website. You can buy great website themes for less than $100.
An outdated web design makes it seem like your website is neglected. It’s also unlikely to be optimized for mobile devices which makes for a subpar user experience. But if you do have an outdated web design, don’t worry! It’s a very easy, common problem to fix.
Solution: If you need to update your website’s design, make sure you choose a knowledgeable, highly-recommended web designer.
Or, if you are buying a ready-made theme, do your research. Test existing websites using that theme to ensure the website structure is user friendly, both on desktop and mobile, and that the pages load fast.
It also needs to look modern and eye-catching, too!
No Contact Page or Calls to Action
This is one of the easiest website issues to uncover and resolve. Is your company’s contact information easy to find? And do you navigate users around your website by linking internally?
If not, depending on your business, that might be why you’re losing customers or your traffic is dropping off.
Solution: Make a very clear “contact” page on your website. Make sure it has your brand’s email, phone number, and social media accounts. A contact form is also helpful.
You also need to make sure you are linking internally to keep users browsing your website. Encourage them to “read more” via calls to action at the end of your webpages and link to relevant content throughout.
Overhaul Your Website Issues and See Results
This is not a completely exhaustive list of all the website issues but these are the most common and a good place to start.
Hopefully, you’ll know what to be mindful of in the future so you can fix website errors straight away before they affect your business. The better your website runs, the more user-friendly it is and the more customers you’ll have!
For more guides and advice to keep your website and business running smoothly, check out our other tech articles!