Effective websites are one of the biggest parts of any successful digital marketing campaign. Many business owners know that an online presence is necessary in the modern age of technology, but few understand that a website isn’t enough.

Your audience needs to be able to access information about your company quickly and efficiently. This may seem like a simple process, but that isn’t always the case. Small business owners or entrepreneurs using free website builders to gain online traffic are making these five common mistakes:

1. Using free website templates. If you’re using a free website builder, it may be worth spending $10 on a more interesting template than the ones offered for free. Why? The free templates are used by everyone, which makes them incredibly recognizable. And not in a good way. By paying for a more unique template, your website will stay fresh in the minds of your audience and will make you look more credible as a business.

    

2. Missing high quality content. It’s true that audiences enjoy seeing an aesthetically pleasing website. But if that’s all your website does and it doesn’t provide your audience with the information they need, your consumers will leave your page, unsatisfied.

    

3. Lack of usability. Approximately four of every five consumers will shop on their smartphones, which means your website needs to be user friendly both for those on the computer and for those on mobile devices. Make sure that your navigation tools are easy to find and that it doesn’t take more than three clicks to get somewhere on your webpage.

    

4. Missing SEO strategy. Search engine optimization is what causes search engines like Google to pick up on your business’s website in the first place. If you don’t build links to your website or use other SEO methods to increase your digital marketing, your website may very well not exist on the web. Consumers just won’t be able to find it.

    

5. Missing website maintenance. Website maintenance needs to take place periodically or else your website will appear stagnant and unused. Routinely update your site and interact with consumers. This will make your business appear more involved and high-functioning. Additionally, website maintenance keeps your designs and technology up to date.

    

For proper digital marketing that works effectively, you need to create a website that not only grabs the attention of your audience, but also successfully gives them what they came to the website for: information. The faster your website can provide your audience with information while simultaneously exhibiting an aesthetic appeal, the more likely your audience will recommend your page and business to others.