7 Website Myths That are Total Crap (and holding you back)

December 2, 2022

This is going to be fun.

I’m on a rant. And I am personally outraged that people are holding onto these myths as fact. And not just because it’s annoying. But because of these myths, people are held back from reaching success. Your website is part of your business’s success pie. And by holding onto these myths as truth you’re burning the success pie to smithereens. Bunt pie sucks. Just sayin.

These myths are holding you back from reaching your potential.

People buy everything online these days, from groceries to underwear. You’re probably one of those people. You use websites to do your job and run your life EVERYDAY. So you know websites are important. But when was the last time you really looked at your website? 

Are you a myth believer?

I want you to go out to your website and pull it up on one monitor. If you’re a two monitor user, I want you to pull up your biggest competitor’s website on another monitor. If you don’t have a great competitor in your area, pull up the business you admire.

Look at your site and theirs, and ask yourself, “if these websites were Airbnbs, which one would I rent?”

If it’s not your website, then you probably believe these myths. 

So ask yourself, what myths are you holding on to that are holding you back?

I know it’s an undertaking, but without a good website, growing your business is hard. Your website should be a bridge between an Internet user and your business. It’s the first face of your business they see. If your website’s not good, it’s a roadblock to growing your business. If you believe these myths, you’re building roadblocks, not bridges.

MYTH #1

A bad website is better than no website at all. 

Did you do the Airbnb test? How did you feel about your site compared to your competitor’s? 

If your answer is “not good,” imagine how your customers feel when they visit your site. A bad website makes you seem like you’re not legit. 

Because a bad website is not better than no website at all. 

I know you might not have a budget of thousands of dollars to blow on your website, but it’s ok. If your competitor is the biggest game on the block, and your website doesn’t stack up, what can we do on your website to take it one step closer to where they are? 

Your website does not have to be the sexiest thing on earth. It just needs to tell your story well.  You can do many things to amp up your website to tell your story and give you the credibility you need.  

• Take new pictures
• Rewrite your text 
• Provide online price quotes. 
• Add a chatbot

Whatever you go with, make sure you’re creating a website that truly represents you. And helps you keep up with the Joneses.

MYTH #2

The most important thing is that my website is beautiful.

I’m not saying your website can be hideous, but if it’s pretty and doesn’t work well, you’re not doing yourself any favors. Beauty is not all there is to it. 

Your website should be a marriage of form and function. 

It has to load quickly. 

A fast-loading site can be a great way to beat out your competition. Figure out how to get your website to load super fast because customers will not wait for the other one to load. Instead, they’ll go over to your site.

It needs to look AND work great on mobile.

You could prioritize making your website look great on mobile. Maybe that’s what will give you a step up on your competition. 

It needs to be super easy to use. 

Don’t make people think to use your website. If you feel like you need to offer training sessions on how to use your website, you’re missing the mark. 

It doesn’t matter how beautiful it is. At that point, your website doesn’t work and isn’t an asset to your company. 

MYTH #3

Stock photos make your site look more polished.

I thought we put the kibosh on this, but I keep seeing sites filled with glowing weirdos. You know, the stock photos that don’t make any sense at all? Stop it. 

Using stock photos doesn’t make you look more polished. It makes you look like everyone else. People can’t tell who you really are.

Visitors to your website should be able to see a glimpse of your company or organization when they look at your website. 

Get rid of the glowing humans. 

They don’t make any sense. We don’t want them on our websites anymore. I’d rather see you use beautiful typography, icons or little meaningful photos you snapped with your phone on your website. 

MYTH #4

It’s OK if it’s not great on mobile. 

When was the last time you looked at a website on a mobile phone? 

I bet you’ve already looked at one today.

People use their phones to look at websites all the time. So why do we feel like our own websites are exempt? 

The fact is, nobody’s website is exempt from working well on mobile. 

Notice I said WORKING, not just LOOKING good.

Look at Myth 2. I said if your competitor’s site doesn’t look good on mobile, and yours does, their customers could be yours. That tweak could be the edge you need to get that Airbnb booking. 

When your website doesn’t look good on mobile, it makes you look like you don’t care. 

You don’t care about your image. You don’t care about the people using your site. And if you don’t care about them right now, when they’re not your customers, how will you treat them when they do business with you?  Think about the message you’re putting out there.

For this mobile situation, friends, there are some great testing tools you can use. 

Your phone. Yup. Pull your site up on your phone and look at it and make a list of what to fix.

Run the mobile speed test on uptrends.com. It might say you’re awesome, or it might not…only running the test will tell. 

If you get a super low score, go down to what they call the waterfall image. It looks like a big chart, like a Gantt chart, showing you how everything’s loading. Sort it by file size by clicking on File Size and letting it sort. Then, see what’s at the top. Is it pictures? If it is pictures, that’s an easy fix!

Your website will load way faster, and you’ll have more business because of it. 

MYTH #5

Once your site is done, you don’t have to update it.

I have a secret for you. 

When you never update your website, it makes you look like you’re dead. 

You look like you’re not in business anymore. Websites are meant to be updated friends.  They are modular. Your website is not a printed brochure. It’s an active thing you do stuff on. 

I’m not saying you need to be blogging, though it does have some major benefits. I am saying as a business going about your normal day-to-day operations, there are things that need to be updated on your website. Obvious things like photos, staff, processes or shifts in operating hours.  

You can also update your website with information that will add value to visitors, existing customers, or employees. 

• Show proof of your work. As you complete projects, put them on your website. 
• Write tutorials for problems your clients face every day. 
• Add an FAQ of the questions you are always asked before people engage in services with you. 
• If you just had a completely successful project, add some testimonials.
• Link to your social media accounts, your emails and your newsletters.

You can easily update your website and ensure people know you’re still alive and doing business. 

MYTH #6

A website is just for new customers.

Your website is not just for new customers. Your website should also support the people you already take care of. If it’s not supporting your current customers, it’s not helping you build your business. 

You want return customers, don’t you?

When people come to me and they say, “Monica, I want to get more business,” or “Monica, I want to get more donations for my nonprofit. I just need to meet new people,” the first thing I ask them is if they are talking to the people they already have. Are they maintaining those relationships? 

Do you maintain a relationship with existing customers? 

It is easier to kindle a relationship with someone you already know than go out and meet new people. 

Nonprofits and businesses alike should be posting news, testimonials, stories and how you’re making an impact in the community and delivering a service that improves the lives of your customers. You need to put it all out there so people can see it and know what you’re all about. 

Your website should be about more than just getting new business. 

You need return customers and return donors for businesses and organizations. Otherwise, you will not be able to be in business as easily. This is our insurance, taking care of the people we already have. Don’t ignore those folks. We love those folks. 

MYTH #7

Redoing my website is going to take too much time. 

Oh, come on.

I’ve been there, but there comes a time when you need to stop cobbling your site together and just do the overhaul.

When we redid our website, Stacy asked, “Hey, Monica, do you think we’re going to have to rewrite the pages? I mean, they’re pretty clever.”  

And I said, “Oh, no, no, we don’t have to rewrite those pages.”

But you know what? When I actually read them, I knew immediately they needed to be rewritten. Because over 5 years we had evolved as a company. 

I didn’t want to rewrite them, but I knew they needed to be rewritten. And you know what? Once we got our new site up, traffic to our website increased and so did the number and quality of website leads. 

You have to update your website, or Google will hate you. 

It’s hard to grow your business when Google’s not your friend. 

Not only that but your website should be built to solve problems within your company. It should be a member of your team working for you to grow your business. 

If you are not integrating your business practices into your website, if you’re not updating it to be found more often on search algorithms, if you are not rebuilding it every four to five years, you’re wasting time and money. Your website is not doing its job anymore. 

If it were an employee, you would fire it,  but instead, you convince yourself you don’t have time to rebuild it. I’m here to tell you if you have enough time to replace an employee not doing their job, you have enough time to replace your website. 

Don’t let time be your enemy. If it is a priority, you can find time to do it. 

Make it a priority; it will help you grow your business. 

End rant.

I’m officially feeling ranted out. Maybe you got a kick out of my rant. Maybe you rolled your eyes. Or maybe you were a myth believer and didn’t even know it. Maybe you just hadn’t ever thought about it that way. 

Regardless of your myth reaction status you deserve a website that’s a beautiful, scalable asset for your organization. Not a liability. 

And if you haven’t already done it…give yourself a gift.

1. Pull up your website and your competitor’s website or somebody you admire and do the Airbnb test. 
2. Look at your website on your mobile phone. 
3. Click through the pages and see if any information or photos are outdated. 
4. Go to uptrends and run that mobile speed test on your website because you deserve a fast-loading website. Your visitors do too.  

Go forth, run these tests and make sure you have a website that beats these seven myths and OF COURSE market with purpose!