If you make  

Your website is too important to leave to chance.  Avoid these top 10 web mistakes....

1. Event rather than process.

If you have just built your website and think you're finished, think again. Once your website is launched, you need to develop a plan that will integrate the Internet into your sales process.  Your plan needs to focus on the process of getting traffic to your site, creating conversion, and communicating elecronically to your constitutents. Internally, our most successful clients assign an internal "webmaster" who is accountable for the success and execution of the ongoing New Media strategy.

2. 2.0 for the money

Web 2.0 is the new generation of website. A web 2.0 site is dynamic and creates interest for the visitor. A 2.0 site is full of interactivity, movement, and entertainment. A 2.0 site is "hands on" and engaging for your visitor. The old generation, or web 1.0 web experience is generally "read only" and is static in design.  Web 1.0 is boring and does nothing  to engage the visitor.  Don't make the mistake of falling into yesterday's generation of web development and design.  Ensure your site is utilizes all the 2.0 tactics that you can.

3. Build it and they will come.

Even if you've built a great site with interactivity and all the web 2.0 tactics, don't expect people to find you without a search  engine strategy.  You need to drive traffic to your site with tactics like sponsored links, social media, newsgroups and blogging.  Don't leave this to chance.  If you really want your site to be a business development tool, create a strategy to get qualified visitors to your site.

4. I know we've just met...Can I marry you?

Expecting a first time visitor to purchase your product or service directly from your site, is a little like asking someone to marry them on the first date.  You need to understand that a visitor may need to come back to your site many times before they trust you to make a purchase.  Testing and implementing intermediate steps is a necessary process to understand when your customers are ready to buy.

5. I wonder if my advertising is working?

A common mistake is to assume your advertising is working. Have you had trouble measuring the effectiveness of your advertising? How do you know that last magazine ad worked?  Directing an offer to your website from any advertising (radio, print, tradeshow,etc) will allow you to accurately measure the success of your campaign. Traffic reports of hits to a specific pages on your site can allow you to understand how effective your marketing really is.

6. Make it easy

Is it easy for someone to do business with you by visiting your website?  Are you doing more harm then good by confusing your visitor with conflicting information on your site compared to your bricks and mortar locations?  Do you have a search function on your site to allow a visitor to find specific information?  Is the site architecture intuitive, or are you placing your visitors into never ending loops of confusion?  If a visitor gets frustrated, there are many more options on the net for them to explore...

7. Content, Content, Content

If you are not focused on providing rich and complete content on your site, your prospects will find the next site that can answer their questions.  The Internet is all about information.  Give your visitors every opportunity to learn about what you do by providing relevant and up to date content for them to use.  Provide them with Frequently asked Questions and a "Search" function. Create a process within your organization to update your site on a regular basis.

8. Automate

Clients often try to manually manage customer interaction from their website.  An easy solution to this mistake is to automate. Automation ensures your visitors won't be waiting for a response, or a download.  Automating creates consistency for your process which allows you to easily test different responses.  The more you automate, the more time you will have to focus on the strategy that will get you more business.

9. Appeal to everyone

Everyone wants to feel like you are talking directly to them.  If you are not creating specific paths on your website for target niches to follow, than you are missing an opportunity to engage them on their terms.

10. It's a great brochure

Thinking of your website as a "brochure" on your company is a big mistake.  Your site needs to create interest, interactivity and to lead the visitor down a preferred path to action.  Your goal should be conversion, not to read a "brochure".