5 Critical Factors Contributing To An Underperforming Website

When you start out with a new website for your online business, life seems full of endless possibilities. With hard work and a little bit of luck, you see no reason why you cannot make a success of your idea - and your launch day is a fantastic occasion that will set you up for many years to come.

But for many newcomers to the online business world, it fast becomes apparent that things aren’t working as you would wish. The interest just doesn’t arrive, and it is easy to get discouraged and feel like you are a failure.

However, you should not despair. The chances are that you are making some typical mistakes - the same errors that many others have done in the past, and will again in the future. These common causes for an underperforming website can be fixed quickly enough, so take a look at this list and address your issues - you should be able to turn things around.

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You have forgotten about mobile

These days, it is essential that you design your website, so it is mobile friendly. Considerably more than half of all searches are performed via a smartphone or tablet, and search engines are now penalising sites that aren’t ‘mobile responsive.’ Your best bet here is to find a web design agency that can help you make your site mobile-friendly, and ensure you are passing the mobile requirement tests from the likes of Google.

Your site is too slow

The modern website user expects your website to load in less than two seconds. While you have a little more leeway than this, it is critical that you ensure fast loading times and keep running page speed insights if you want to avoid a drop in sales and visitors.

You don’t have a point

All websites need a reason to exist, and that reason needs to be transparent to your customers. The trouble is, it’s easy for newcomers to the online world to forget this. Take your blog content, for example. If you cover all subjects from business tips to relationship advice, your audience will be as scattergun as your approach. And when people turn up to your site they will be unsure of the reasons for its existence. In the vast majority of cases, you will find your performance improves dramatically by servicing a particular niche.

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Targeting the wrong people

Moving on from our last point, now you have a niche, ensure you are targeting the right people. The simple truth is that if the wrong people are finding your site, the fewer sales, you will make. The solution is to ensure you are checking your analytics and find out as much as possible about your audience. If they aren’t the type of person that will buy a product or be interested in your content, you need to start targeting other demographics.

Poor SEO

Finally, ensure your SEO is up to scratch. As it is an ongoing process, it might be worth your while outsourcing your SEO to a professional, who will be able to do a much more professional job than you. It will also free up your time to focus on doing more profitable tasks, such as drumming up business.

At What Point Should You Start Hiring Staff For Your Online Business?

It’s never been easier to start a business online as it is today. But what happens when you decide you want a little more? The bare facts are that you will need to hire people at some point if you want a business capable of expansion and success. The trick is to ensure you start hiring at the right time - and we’re going to explore exactly that today. Let’s take a closer look.

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The wrong time to hire

First of all, there will be some points in your business’s lifespan that make you feel like you should start hiring. But don’t leap in blind - because many of these moments are the wrong time to start employing people.

For example, when you are feeling under pressure and have a lot of work on, a new employee might seem like a sensible solution, But what happens when your workload returns to normal? You will be left with a full-time employee on your hands who may have nothing to do, meaning you are paying for them to be unproductive.

Get the systems in place

Before you hire a single soul, you have to be ready for it. Employment law, health and safety, tax and insurance responsibilities - you need to know about them all. You will need to consider health and safety outsourcing or get help from an independent HR professional to help you create policies that will cover your back.

It’s a very different scenario to working by yourself, and failure to take your responsibilities seriously could lead to severe consequences.

Target the money

When you hire people, at first, you have to take on employees that can generate money for your business. This tactic can work in two different ways.

First of all, you can hire someone to start doing the tasks that are stopping you from earning to your highest potential. Let’s say you spend a day a week doing paperwork - it makes you nothing. But for the other four days, you are out drumming up business, and earning £1000 for your company. In this case, it might be worth hiring someone to do your paperwork, and who can do it quicker. You might find an admin assistant who will do the job in half the time, and only pay them £100. That frees up your time to earn an extra £900 per week for your business.

Secondly, you can target areas such as sales or marketing, which have a direct impact on your revenue. As long as you can guarantee your income will be greater than the employee’s wages and benefits, hiring makes complete sense.

Start with contractors

Finally, it’s almost always best to hire contractors or outsource work before hiring. You will only pay for the work done, and you won’t have to worry about things like paying taxes, National Insurance, training, or sick pay.

Once you find that you are using a contractor regularly, it could be time to take someone on full-time. Just make sure that the figures add up - as always, in business, the money should be your biggest hint.