Client Website Mistakes to Avoid

If you are designing or developing websites for clients, of course you need to listen to them about their desires and goals. But just as importantly, as an expert in the area, it’s up to you to watch out for website mistakes that might never occur to your clients. If you aren’t an expert but want to make sure your clients have beautiful, well-oiled websites, you may want to consider reselling white label website design services and white label website accessibility services.

There are many website mistakes to avoid, but the following addresses some we think happen much too often.

Insist on Website Accessibility

If  you are a website designer or developer, and you have not been building website accessibility for the disabled into your clients’ websites, it’s past time to start. Though federal circuit courts are not in agreement whether the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to websites, some have ruled that websites fall into the legal requirements of ADA accessibility. Penalties for violating the ADA are steep.

Not only that, but on March 18, 2022, the Department of Justice (DOJ) finally published guidelines that outline what businesses that are open to the public can do to ensure their websites are accessible to the disabled. Now that the DOJ has issued guidance to employers on website accessibility, we can probably expect more court rulings that penalize businesses that don’t make their websites accessible.

And why wouldn’t your clients want the business of the disabled? There are over 61 million adults in the US with disabilities. Many with visual, hearing and motor skills disabilities can use websites that have accessibility featured built in.

We think today that failure to build in accessibility is among the top website mistake.

Don’t Bite Your Tongue

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Some clients have strong personalities and may think they know more than they do about website design. For example, they might insist on a website that mirrors a subpar website they build 10 years ago.

Take pains to understand what your client wants their website to accomplish. Discuss the project with your client and instill trust. If they want to micromanage you after that, you may want to consider walking away.

It’s up to you to gently guide your clients in order to get them the results they want from their websites. Certainly, you should convince them to make their websites accessible to the disabled, particularly if they have businesses open to the public. Guiding your clients may take you into areas that your clients may not think you belong, such as messaging and calls to action. Speak up. If you don’t offer content services, you may want to consider outsourcing or even recommending a good resource if you can see your client’s content is problematic.

Sometimes a client will have something flashy in mind but doesn’t really understand the customer’s journey through the site. Take the time to explain usability is paramount and why.

Keep Up to Date

The world changes, and website trends changes even faster than that. Not keeping up with these are website mistakes. You don’t need to grab the tail of every trend, but you do need to keep up to date on website trends and also the world around you.

If you are designing the same looks you did 15 years ago, don’t think your clients’ customers don’t notice the dated designs. Design is important, and customers will make split second opinions of a company or product based on it.

But it’s not all about design. As we’ve already mentioned, usability and function are critical. For example, know when it’s appropriate to use AI chatbots. Make anything you can easily shareable on social media. We’ve already talked about mkaing your clients’ websites accessible to those with disabilities.

Address Shoddy SEO

Your design could be the best out there, but if your client is posting content with bad SEO, your design can only do so much. If you are offering web design and development services, you may also want to offer SEO services. After all, a lot of your clients will be looking for SEO services along with a new design. You don’t have to be an expert in everything. You can resell white label SEO services.

Support Social Sharing

Whether your client mentions it or not, you will want to encourage readers to share your client’s blog posts on social media. Also, make the links to your clients’ social media obvious on the home page and where it makes sense throughout the site.

Double Check Load Times

You already know that websites need to be fast or your clients will lose customers. Not only will people get tired of waiting, but slow load times will adversely affect search engine rankings.

Since you always deliver fast sites, why can you disregard this one amonth the other website mistakes? Slow load time can be caused by technical issues, but it can also be caused by content, such as uploading huge files. You may leave your client with a fast site, but they may start loading content that will slow it down. You therefore may want to leave your client with some guidelines about posting content.

Of course, it’s better if you can check the site from time to time unless they have an expert webmaster. You might sell your client an ongoing maintenance contract or at least a site audit every so often to ensure their site is working optimally.

Explain the Importance of Optimization for Mobile Devices

It’s hard to believe, but many of your customers may still not understand how important it is that their customers have a good experience when viewing their website on a phone or tablet.

If they don’t get it, you need to convince them they will be leaving a whole lot of money on the table if they insist on a design that isn’t mobile-friendly. It should be enough for them to know that now over 50% of website traffic is via mobile devices and almost 50% in the U.S.

Umbrella Can Help

Don’t fall prey to website mistakes. If your clients are clamoring for website design, website accessibility or SEO, and any of these are not your area of expertise, you can resell Umbrella’s white label SEO services. Whether you place part or all of these services in Umbrella’s hands, be assured your clients will be served by experts.

Call us now for a free, low-key conversation about how Umbrella can help you and your clients.