{"id":9557,"date":"2022-02-03T22:45:36","date_gmt":"2022-02-03T22:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/03\/28-costly-mistakes-your-freelance-web-designer-is-making\/"},"modified":"2022-02-03T22:45:36","modified_gmt":"2022-02-03T22:45:36","slug":"28-costly-mistakes-your-freelance-web-designer-is-making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/03\/28-costly-mistakes-your-freelance-web-designer-is-making\/","title":{"rendered":"28 Costly Mistakes Your Freelance Web Designer is Making"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Choosing a web designer is like choosing a builder for your home. You want someone who is going to take pride in their work and build you something useful while still looking good. While we all want these things, sometimes the person we choose to take the helm isn\u2019t doing the job you\u2019re paying them to do.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve chosen a freelance web designer, they could be making mistakes that are not only costing you unnecessary money, but also potential customers. The bigger problem is that you may not even know what to look for to know that you\u2019re not getting what you\u2019re paying for. That\u2019s why we\u2019re here. We\u2019re your eyes and ears when it comes to pointing out mistakes that your freelance web designer is making.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Check out our list of things you\u2019ll want to look out for.<\/p>\n

\"28<\/figure>\n

1. Brags Too Much Without Getting to the Point<\/h2>\n

You want searchers to know that you\u2019re good at what you do but you need to give them more than that. If your web designer is presenting your website like a resume, beware. While testimonials and awards are great, they\u2019re not the main course. You have to show the searcher that you have the services and skills they need to make their<\/em> life better, not brag about yours.<\/p>\n

2. Using Jargon Instead of Normal Language<\/h2>\n

Your website needs to be presented in a way that everyone will understand. You don\u2019t want to use jargon or terms that people won\u2019t be familiar with. For example, if you\u2019re a lawyer, it\u2019s probably natural for you to think and write in legalese. But it\u2019s not for everyone else. You want to have information that everyone can understand. If not, they\u2019re going to click away from your site to one that speaks their language.<\/p>\n

3. Being Cute or Clever Instead of Clear<\/h2>\n

You may think you\u2019re being cute or clever. But in reality, no one knows what you\u2019re trying to say. Clarity goes a long way. Be sure your web designer is making clarity a priority over cute sayings.<\/p>\n

4. No Calls-to-Action<\/h2>\n

If your website has no calls to action, your web designer is doing you a BIG disservice. Your website needs to tell people what to do because if not, they won\u2019t likely do anything. You also need to tell them what they\u2019ll get from taking action. Here\u2019s a good example:<\/p>\n

\u201cSchedule a Treatment Today and Be Mosquito Free Tomorrow.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is clear and not buried in the fine print. This is what your goal should be.<\/p>\n

5. Too Many Calls-to-Action<\/h2>\n

While you want to have calls to action, there is too much of a good thing. If you\u2019re throwing people commands in every other sentence of your site, they\u2019re going to get over-stimulated and probably annoyed.<\/p>\n

Although they all may be actions you want your visitors to take, cramming them all on the same page only serves to divide your visitors\u2019 attention. Each page should ideally focus on a single goal.<\/p>\n

6. Using Unvetted 3rd Party Themes<\/h2>\n

While unvetted third-party themes may look fancy, they can slow down your site. We all know that\u2019s a big no-no. Plus, they may not be compatible with your WordPress version. Keep in mind, a new version of WordPress comes out practically every month. WordPress updates can often be incompatible with your theme\u2019s code<\/a>, causing your site to break. Be sure your freelance designer is not using them because it will only hurt you in the long run.<\/p>\n

7. Not Having Enthusiasm For Your Project<\/h2>\n

Your freelance web designer should be excited about working on your project. Yes, it\u2019s a job. But, if they\u2019re just muddling through it\u2019s going to show in the end product which is your website. They\u2019re still going to get paid and you\u2019re left with a lackluster website. You want someone who is going to have fresh ideas and be excited about creating a killer website for you.<\/p>\n

8. Using Cheap, Shared Hosting<\/h2>\n

You know the saying; you get what you pay for. If you\u2019re using cheap, shared hosting, you can\u2019t expect to have a lightning-speed site. It\u2019s just not going to happen. Also, cheap hosting may not include regular backups of your site\u2019s data. Such hosting plans are more prone to downtimes and lost data. A broken site with no backup is more than an inconvenience. It could be catastrophic to your business.<\/p>\n

9. Overuse of Sliders<\/h2>\n

Beware if your web designer is slider happy. While sliders are a way to get multiple messages into one space, they can get slow and choppy. This is especially true on mobile devices. We know that people do most of their searching on the go. So, if they\u2019re distracted by your sliders and can\u2019t get the info they need, they\u2019re going to click away.<\/p>\n

10. No Google Analytics Tag Installed<\/h2>\n

How can you manage what you can\u2019t measure?<\/a><\/p>\n

Your website is the epicenter of your business\u2019 public face. You need to track and measure what your visitors are doing to make intelligent decisions on what to do next. This is why Google Analytics is important.<\/p>\n

Pro tip:<\/strong> While you\u2019re in Google Analytics, make sure to add a filter to exclude your own IP address and the IP address of your web developer. That way you aren\u2019t counting your own visits to the site as legitimate traffic.<\/p>\n

11. No Conversion Tracking<\/h2>\n

Google Analytics isn\u2019t just for looking at traffic statistics so you can feel like a scientist. Unless you run an online magazine and sell banner ad space as your main source of revenue, traffic and page views put precisely zero dollars in your pocket. Why use traffic as your measuring stick for success? You need to track the leads and sales generated from your website, and correctly attribute which channels (organic search, paid search, direct, email, social) they came from.<\/p>\n

12. Not Using Google Search Console<\/h2>\n

Google Search Console<\/a> provides you with important information about your site\u2019s health, including indexing issues, broken links, mobile usability, and HTML improvements. It\u2019s also where you can tell Google exactly how you want it to crawl and index your site. Not using Google Search Console makes it harder to know how healthy your site is.<\/p>\n

13. Preferred Site Version Not Set<\/h2>\n

Since we are talking about Google Search Console, one of the things you need to do in there is set your preferred site version<\/a>. You have to choose whether your site should default to the www or non-www version.<\/p>\n

For example, example.com<\/strong> and www.example.com<\/strong> would actually be considered two different web pages without a preferred site version set.<\/p>\n

This matters for two reasons. If you have multiple versions of all your pages, your site is going to be full of duplicate content. Duplicate content sends a confusing signal to Google about what content on your site is most important. Don\u2019t confuse Google. It can have a negative impact on your SEO,<\/span><\/p>\n

The other reason you don\u2019t want duplicates of your pages is backlinks. Backlinks are an extremely important ranking factor.<\/a><\/p>\n

If incoming links are split between two versions of your page, that link authority, often referred to as \u201clink juice,\u201d is diluted among two pages. It\u2019d be better if all that juice was going to the one version of your site that you were trying to rank.<\/p>\n

14. No SSL Certificate<\/h2>\n

If your site starts with HTTP versus HTTPS<\/a>, you don\u2019t have an SSL certificate. If you don\u2019t have one, your visitors may see a \u201cnot secure\u201d warning in their browser.<\/p>\n

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That looks a little scary. Secure sites, on the other hand, proudly display a happy green padlock symbol.<\/p>\n

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\"secure<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Google also officially has stated that having an SSL is a positive ranking signal. Thus, another reason to make sure your site has one.<\/p>\n

15. Using Stock Images<\/h2>\n

If your freelance web designer is using some stock images, it\u2019s not the end of the world. But that shouldn\u2019t be all that they\u2019re using. Stock photos seem fake and generic. Custom graphics and real photographs provide a feeling of authenticity. You want your visitors to trust you. Beyond trust, website imagery should speak to your target audience and help convey the benefits of your product or service.<\/p>\n

Here is a brilliant use of imagery from Constant Contact.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s a pretty normal-looking picture, but it says so much<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Constant Contact is an email marketing platform targeted at small business owners. They are well aware that their potential customers are all worried about the same things.<\/p>\n