Websites just like any other tool we use for business can also become a disaster to our brand if we decide not to be cautious of very simple and normal precautions to be taken. The website represents your company in the digital space and has become the destination point for any client or customer wishing to get all the necessary information to make a firm decision and of course how serious you are in doing business. we will start with the basic disaster to avoid which well know – passwords:
Using Simple Passwords and Usernames
Our digit lives have become a maze of accounts, emails and especially passwords; some many login details that passwords have become difficult to memorize. The default solution is to have one-password-to-access-them-all but we all heard the stories, that’s also not a safe solution and this can lead to disasters both on personal information content and financial.
Website access is also the same, have a very strong password and also a unique username is equally important as many hackers and even worse automated bots are constantly trying to access your website. Losing your data or control and have all information on your website changed to ruin your brand value or business as the major consequences; just like your social media accounts.
Not Monitoring your website until you visit a client
Many website owners believe once a website is built, it’s a done deal and should be out on the self like an award plaque. Your website is a tool for reaching out and marketing your products and services, just like every serious-minded business, the goal is to keep creating or fine-tuning your services and tools to better serve your clients.
A website can’t be left to carry dust, another disaster awaits your brand if your website is not monitored or updated regularly; from old features or plugins no longer supported to updated to meet new demands of the web to it been hacked; all control and access taken from you, forcing you to delete and files and upload a backup that’s if you have a backup of your site.
Make it a habit to check your site weekly for example during Monday meetings and how to make it a better experience for your clients or customers and above promote your brand the right way.
Visibility on Google
The quest to reach number one page on google search has been a war for years now and takes a lot to be number on the first page – SEO. This is another topic for another day, we are here to talk about even showing up in the search in the first place and with the right information.
Visibility on Google means signing up for google business, inputting your information and confirming this via a code sent to your physical business address most of the time. If not done, you have left this to be filled by anyone who takes their time to do so and this can affect your brand value.
Google nowadays ask anyone who is willing to review any of their visits to any location and best believe a lot of people are doing this, putting up images, videos and reviews, if your business doesn’t have information already with google, these reviewers’ information will be used instead. If you do have your information with google business then it shows first before their reviews.
A very easy disaster to avoid and takes just a little time which can go a long way to help your SEO endeavors.
Looking Terrible
The main disaster that deals with visuals which is one of the most important aspects of branding, marketing and integrity. No brand aims to look terrible especially when approaching the market or clients. From the wrappers for the products to the way your marketers dress, speak and present to potential clients matter a lot.
These days, clients ask for your website URL and or even just google your name to see if you have information on the web and look for your website to know if what you saying matches the information on your website. Most won’t go far if they can’t even navigate through your website.
Your website has to look the way you want your brand to be envisioned, leaving a lasting memory that makes them want to call their website designer and say have a look at your website. For any time you hear your website looks good, it’s a +1 for your brand image.
Saving Cost
As a business we all about saving cost and getting the best value. The same goes for a website which is understandable but to what degree of saving to cause a negative impact on your brand value.
This disaster comes in the form of using bulk designs or downloaded themes or freebie themes that don’t update if any new security breach or the code is no longer supported.
You can say this is the biggest disaster, after all, everything we spoke about up until now requires to spend money in order to save you from spending much more if any of the disasters should even strike.
No Schedule Backups
This seems to be the only solution to any of the disasters that happen to your website, the main disaster is your company not even having a backup at all. From the day your website goes live to when you make major changes or have a blog section which you update regularly.
A scheduled backup saves you so much headache and problems, a quick deletion of all the bad files and corrupt database then a fresh upload of backup goes a long way. Always backup monthly, quarterly, annually or once if no changes have been made to the website since going live.
Having no backup is a major disaster waiting to happen.
No Maintenance plans
Just like everything else from cars to social media accounts to health checks, a website is a tool and a face of your company digitally, if not maintained properly, it will become a disaster in the long.
Everything we have said above can be avoided if you just simply have a maintenance plan or your IT department manage it; a service we also render here in WXA.
Maintenance is a good culture that must also be extended to your digital arm of the business be it social media or the website else it becomes a huge disaster and its not that easy to clean off digital footprints once disaster strikes.
If we have left any website disaster out, do leave in the comments below and if you need us to help your company avoid any of these disasters, kindly contact us.
