I’ve written a lot lately about all things you SHOULD have on your website. But what about all the things you SHOULDN’T have on your website? Here are 5 things you can (and should) remove from your website today to have a more effective and improved website. Ready? Break out the scissors because we’re about to do some trimming.
1. Stock Photos
Your viewers can recognize a stock photo a mile away. They’re easy to recognize. Why? Because they’re too perfect. They’re cheesy. They’re just not authentic.
What can you do? Break out your phone and start taking some real, authentic pictures. They might not be professional but your viewers will appreciate the authenticity. If you have to use stock photos, use the best. It pays to pay (like Shutterstock.com) but others like Unsplash.com have pretty good photos as well. You can also hire a local photographer. I happen to know one if you’re interested.
2. Email Address
This one is new to me. I learned that spammers use the “mailto:” code to flood your inbox with news about a Nigerian prince that needs you to send money right away! Hmm. Ya … I think we all have inboxes that have a little too much spam. If you have an email address that’s clickable on your website, it’s time to get rid of it.
What can you do? Instead, create a form that they fill out. Keep it simple (long forms scare people) and easy to fill out. Then you can redirect them to a thank-you page with an additional offer or incentive. You can also just remove the mailto: code and have it just be text. They just won’t be able to click on it.
3. Pop-Ups
Ugh. Am I right? Nobody likes to have they reading experience interrupted by a pop-up. “Join my newsletter!” “Subscribe!” Yuck. Does that mean they’re ineffective and nobody clicks on them? No. People actually click on them. But is it worth it? You may gain one new subscriber to your email list but what expense? How many other people have you irritated in the process?
What can you do? I still think it’s okay to have that pop-up that’s triggered when the user goes to leave your website. “Wait! Before you go …” since they’re already on their way out. But otherwise, it’s just best to get rid of these nuances.
4. Outdated Content
This might take a little bit of work to know which content on your website is outdated but there’s a reason for doing so. Google doesn’t like outdated content. They like to keep it fresh. Fresh content is what helps your site to rank higher in Google. Go into your Google Analytics and take a look at which pages are performing well. If they are, considering updating them. If you have a page on your site that no one has visited for quite some time, maybe now is a good time to remove it or at least consider updating it with fresher content.
What can you do? Start with checking out the stats and numbers. Discover which pages are outdated.
5. Sliders
Ah yes … those headers at the top of the page that slide from one image to another. What’s worse is when each one has a call-to-action button on it. Chances are, most viewers aren’t going to get past the first one. But having a number of different images, headlines and calls-to-action simply dilutes your marketing message. Find the one that’s the most effective and use it. Be clear. Be concise.
What can you do? Decide which image represents your marketing message (addressing a pain point or showing someone enjoying your product or service) and make that your hero image that is displayed at the top of the page.
It’s not always about what we can add to our website to make it more effective, but sometimes it’s what we can REMOVE from our site that will make it more effective and better overall.
