7 BIG Website Mistakes & How You Can Fix Them
Ooooh websites. They are soooo needy. We’ve re-done and updated ours countless times. And still it feels like the work is never done. It also feels hard to objectively look at it because we’re so IN it. Do you ever feel like it’s impossible to look at your own website with a fresh set of eyes?
You know there are simple things you could improve, but it’s often hard to know where to start. That’s why we put together this post with before and after examples of the 7 big website mistakes creative businesses make and how to fix them.
For each common website mistake we explain what’s not working, how the issue was fixed, and what you can do to improve your own site. All the examples here are “low-tech” tweaks you can make on your own.
Each of the before and after images included in this post are from actual clients we’ve worked with as part of our recently launched Tweak & Edit PR Review service, which you can learn more about here.
1. Overcrowded and confusing navigation
When organizing and labeling your website’s main navigation, it’s important to keep in mind that a large majority of the people who land on your homepage will be first time visitors.
Imagine how you give directions to a guest who is visiting your city or town for the first time. If you list too many references when describing how to get to the corner store they’ll get overwhelmed and lost. The same concept applies to your website’s main navigation.
Appalachian baby design sells DIY kits and supplies to make clothing and accessories, but the overcrowded navigation in the before image will overwhelm editors, potential customers, and anyone who visits the site.
You may notice in the before image that Appalachian baby design sells a wide range of kits. We suggested they collate all the kits under one simple dropdown. Not only did this simplify the overall navigation, it’s also easier to read a simple top to bottom list than the previous three lines of options.
In the before image there is a navigation button for “New! Stars & Stripes” and one for “Christmas Stockings.” Both of these items are seasonal so don’t need to live in the permanent navigation.
In the after image they created 5 main navigation tabs, 4 of which give the site visitor an immediate idea of what they sell. They’re using the navigation titles strategically.
How to improve your own website navigation:
We suggest no more than 6 tabs as a good max number. Use dropdown menus for subcategories.
There’s no need to include a “home” navigation button. Internet users, at this point, are accustomed to the fact that you can get back to the homepage by clicking on the logo.
Choose your navigation words wisely, every piece of copy on your website conveys a bit of information to the visitor. We recently changed our “Learn” dropdown to “PR Courses & Guides.” Is it longer, yes. But it is also much more specific.
If you have seasonal products or releases, rather than including these in your main navigation, create a specific section on your homepage where you can feature items on a rotating seasonal basis.
2. An unpolished banner that doesn’t show off your work
As a business owner in a creative industry, high quality photography is one of the most important investments you can make to present your work well on your website, social media, newsletter, and in email pitches to editors.
We’re broken records when it comes to photography but it is truly one of the main reasons your business either will get press placements or won’t, will attract new clients or won’t. We’re so adamant about this point that we put together three downloadable PDF guides all about photography for media outreach to help you understand if you are taking the right images of your work to pitch editors.
A banner image is often the very first image someone will see of your work or products and you want to put your best foot forward. Although the before image below is well let and colorful there are several easy-to-fix issues that make it feel unprofessional.
Website mistakes in before banner image:
The image centers on uneven folds that don’t look intentional.
There are threads hanging from the fabric making the image look unkempt.
The image is not cropped intentionally. There is a ton of blue fabric at top and just a sliver of greay and yellow fabric at the bottom.
It’s important to note that this after image — a vast improvement — was not taken by a professional photographer. In the second image the business owner simply arranged the fabric in a much more intentional manner so that it photographed well for a banner image.
Is working with a professional photographer ideal? Yes. Is it a must all the time? No.
How to improve your website’s banner images:
Full width (edge to edge) banner images are more visually impactful than images that take up a narrower portion of your homepage.
If you include text or buttons over images they should be clear and legible on all images. If you have a banner reel and the images have a range of tonalities, consider including a background to the text and moving it to the edge of the image so the text is not the most prominent element. Make sure your images aren’t covered by the text or graphics.
Pay attention to how your images are cropped. This long narrow format isn’t as common, so be sure you’re taking images specifically for this format.
Be sure the images are of your actual work and help clarify what you sell.
3. Unclear elevator pitch
Do you have 1-2 sentence “about me” copy on your homepage? We encourage every business we work with to include an “elevator pitch” on their website, typically located just under the banner. This short text helps new visitors quickly understand who your are and what you do. It should be as clear and specific as possible.
Sew Vintagely is an online supply shop for home sewers and crafters who want to make vintage-inspired items. However, their initial elevator pitch copy “Creating a special, handmade garment that will last a lifetime starts here” isn’t specific or clear enough. As a new visitor to the site I wouldn’t understand exactly what they sell or their point of view as a creative business.
Sew Vintagely’s updated copy is a big improvement because it:
Tells us exactly what they sell (fabric, patterns, and supplies).
Identifies their audience, aka who they want to sell to (home sewers).
Tells us their point of view as a business — vintage (not a place for homemade Halloween costume supplies, for example).
Effective landing page page copy should do 3 key things:
State clearly what you do or sell (avoid jargon and unclear terms like “natural”).
Be relevant to your ideal client.
Point out what makes you different.
When writing elevator pitch copy for your own website we also suggest using a tactic we call “the copy and paste method.” If you can easily “copy and paste” what you’ve written onto another website, especially one that sells something different, then you haven’t made it specific enough yet.
For even more tips about how to improve your website copy including real world examples read our post How to Write Great Landing Page Copy.
Fixing your website mistakes pro tip
The first three website mistakes and fixes in this post are all elements that live “above the fold” on your website, in the space on the screen before someone starts scrolling. This narrow section on your website is your digital first impression and often what will convince people to either stay on your site or move on.
Prioritize these three common website mistakes first. Have peers and colleagues look at each element individually and give you feedback.
4. Inconsistent photography
Reminding you again here that high quality photography is one of the most important tools you have to make your business and web presence more professional.
When an editor who is thinking of publishing your work lands on your site, they need to immediately see that you have images that meet the standards required by the publication they write for. If your images aren’t up to snuff all that publication research and pitching work has gone to waste.
The photographs in the before image picture below are inconsistent in their lighting, backgrounds, and arrangement. Who knew something as simple as ribbon could look so different! This inconsistency makes the whole page (and thus business) feel less professional.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE! This is our absolute favorite before and after pairing! The images look so cool and professional, and the product is simply ribbon.
As you read in website mistake #2, hiring a professional photographer is ideal but not always affordable or necessary depending on your business. The owner of this shop took these new photos on their own with a high quality cell phone camera and a white box. If you sell small products get a white box, the simple and affordable solution to lighting consistency issues.
In PR and media-speak, the after images are called “silhouette”, “solo-white”, “e-comm”, or “white sweeps”. This is the most common type of product photography used in the media for items as small as jewelry to things as large as furniture. Silhouette-style photographs have a totally even white background allowing an editor to easily drop your image onto their layout.
If you make products and only have the time or budget to take one type of image, prioritize silhouettes.
Tips to take better product photography:
Prioritize silhouettes.
Invest in a white box and tripod.
Media-quality images should always be well lit and clear.
Look at the images in press features you’d like to pitch, make note of what you are seeing. This will help guide the types of images you take of your own work.
If you can hire a professional photographer. There are many e-commerce photographers who are affordable and you can simply ship your work to.
5. Branding that doesn’t match your brand’s POV
As a creative business all the visuals you put out into the world should reflect what you do and your point of view. You want to be sure your branding and graphic elements match the quality and aesthetic of your work and thus connect with your client base.
Thread & Whisk is the company pictured below. They sell high-quality, meticulously designed totes, aprons, and home goods. However, in the before image the graphic elements are not contributing to the elevated high-quality nature of their work. In fact they are distracting. The banner feels like dated clipart and the logo leans very DIY crafty. This means that while their product and assets are good enough, their website may not land well with higher brow publications they want to pitch.
In the after image you can see how Thread & Whisk’s new logo is cleaner, more modern, and appeals to a wider audience. They removed the pink banner and instead enlarged their product images, which is really where you want the attention anyways, on the product. They’ve also included a clear easy to use shop menu on the left.
Maybe you’ve been running your creative business for a long time… trends change, graphic styles change. It may be time for a rebrand. For Thread & Whisk this meant simplifying and modernizing their colors and graphics. Nothing too fancy or involved.
Tips to assess if your branding, colors, and logo is working;
Are the images of your products or projects the most eye-catching and prominent element on the page? They should be.
Are you using standard graphic elements you downloaded from the internet, like banners or icons? Sometimes these can be ok but defiantly worth looking at.
Did you do your branding 10+ years ago? (This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not relevant anymore, but worth looking at).
Are your graphic elements as high quality as the work you make?
Does your color scheme skew strongly to one gender even if your products or services don’t?
Check out our blog post specifically about logo design with 12 creative industry examples.
6. A bland and generic about page
A common PR tip we like to give — “tell the stories you’d like the media to be telling about your business.” Do you work with local artisans? Is there a handcrafted element to your work? Do your products involve an innovative or unique manufacturing process?
Your about page is a great place to give editors, potential clients, and fans a look into your creative process.
The images below are from Elish Warlop, a lighting designer who does a lot of hand work herself. However, in the before image you don’t see any of this process. In fact without reading the text this before about page could be for a real estate agent.
Common website mistake pro tip:
Center-justified paragraph text is hard to read because a reader’s eye can’t jump as easily from one line to the next. When a piece of text on your website is longer than three lines it should be left justified.
In Elish’s updated about page, she has included a reel of process, design, and behind the scenes photos that show off her design and construction process. She has also created a shorter bio with a clear heading and an additional section about how her work is made in the USA.
How to improve the about page on your website:
Show off your creative process. Include studio and process shots.
Call out unique aspects of your business. If you hand make all your work tell us! If your products are made in the US tell us!
Take a professional founder photo that also show’s off your creative POV. Check out our Pinterest board with tons of examples and inspiration.
7. Vague blog post titles
You probably noticed from website mistake #1 and #3 that we’re all about clarity when it comes to copy. This also goes for your blog post titles, or individual project page titles for that matter. A well written title tells the reader a bit about what the article is about, peaking their interest so they’re more likely to click.
The blog pages below are from Hygge & West, a wallpaper and home goods company. In the before image the title of the blog itself “Picnics Under the Moon” feels unrelated and the graphics aren’t as elevated as the actual product or website.
Several of their original blog titles are also not working. Here’s an example — the second post in the left column is titled “Must watch TV”. It’s impossible to know what this means or what this post may be about. However, this post is actually super interesting and talks about how one their wallpapers was used for a TV show set. If that information were to be included in the title a potential reader would be more likely to click.
Remember in website mistake #6 we advised you to “tell the stories you want the media to tell about you”? Same concept for blog posts. You don’t want to burry interesting, in-depth, behind the scenes stories about your biz behind surface-level content like an Instagram round up, which you can see in the before image. That’s what your creative Instagram profile and Instagram guides are for :).
You can probably tell their new after page is so much more effective! Have a look and browse for yourself.
Hygge & West’s updated blog is a big improvement because:
The title of the blog “Pattern Stories” is related to the actual product they sell. It also relates back to their goal of moving from being a wallpaper only company, to a broader pattern company. Every element is reinforcing their brand story.
The images are all high quality professional shots.
Individual post titles describe what the content is about.
The overall layout of the page is more organized an professional looking.
They’ve included 6 categories at the top so readers can easily sort their content.
Tips to improve your blog main page so more visitors click and read:
Check your titles! Make sure they’re telling the reader what the article is about.
If you have a lot of posts, like over 20, consider using categories or tags at the top so your older content is easier to find.
Use your best quality images as thumbnails.
Only keep your best posts. Remove filler content that isn’t telling the story of your biz.
If your blog has a title make sure it relates your work and content.
Want us to review your website and give you individualized, actionable, and in-depth tips about how you can improve it? Send us an email at hello@wolf-craft.com. Your tips will come in the form of a pre-recorded 30-minute loom video and detailed document of notes.
