I have a confession.
When I am interested in purchasing a product or service, I’m more apt to seek out my information online than I am to call someone with questions.
For me, it’s easier and fits into my schedule better.
As anti-social as that may sound, it’s likely you have potential members who feel the same way.
Those of us who turn to the Interwebs, expect a professional look and good information, especially if we’re not familiar with the organization. I have reconsidered many purchases because when I access the website I see signs that concern me.
I always equate a bad website with a fly-by-night organization.
While the chamber has a good reputation and one that likely won’t be altered by a bad website design, there are some indicators that will make people question what century we’re operating in.
Here’s what you need to be aware of:
Website Mistakes Your Chamber Can’t Afford to Make
Does your chamber site contain any of these common website mistakes? Or maybe you know member businesses that have struggled with these. If so, you’re losing points with your audience.
- Old information up. This is a major pet peeve of mine since so many of us use technology that lets us easily update site content without coding knowledge. When an event passes, don’t allow it to take up valuable real estate on your site. You don’t have to delete it altogether but get it off the front page or slider, unless you are posting pics from it and thanking those who attended. But even that requires freshening up your original post/copy.
- Spelling mistakes. There’s a reason we call them mistakes. We all make them on occasion. But if you find a typo, correct it immediately.
- Crowded areas. No one will take the time to enjoy your content if your chamber website is a crowded mess of language, fonts, and colors. Clean and simple is today’s website trend.
- Slow load times. Your site needs to load quickly or people will navigate away.
- Bad mobile experience. It doesn’t happen often these days but just this week I went to a business website that had small buttons and text that didn’t fit on the mobile screen. There are more people accessing the Internet from their phones than computers. You need to adjust to this.
- Not having a Join Now button. Some people will see your site, read your content, and know chamber membership is for them. When this happens, you want to make it easy for them to join. That means having a Join Now button that’s easy to see and navigate the joining process.
Finally, if you’re going to have social media profiles listed on your website, make sure you are posting to them. I often click on social media icons only to find the business hasn’t posted there in years. If it’s not an active site, take the icon off your website.
A must read for all Chamber Professionals...
