(MarketingProfs)
Consumers say the biggest mistake a small business can make with its website is to include outdated contact information, according to recent research from Vistaprint Digital.
Some 49.7% of respondents say outdated contact information on a small business website leaves a bad impression.
24.8% say a website is outdated if it has not been updated in more than one month.
Some 28.9% of consumers surveyed consider a small business website outdated if it has not been updated in more than six months.
Other major mistakes include failing to post an address and hours (41.5% say this leaves a bad impression), not including product information (34.3%), and having an unprofessional design (26.2%).
Some 59.8% of consumers surveyed say a bad website experience makes them less likely to purchase from a small business.
Consumers say they primarily turn to small business websites for product information (44.9% cite it as their top reason), hours (21%), contact information (18.7%), and directions (5.5%).
Source: Ayaz Nanji is an independent digital strategist and a co-founder of ICW Content, a marketing agency specialising in content creation for brands and businesses. He is also a research writer for MarketingProfs. He has worked for Google/YouTube, the Travel Channel, AOL, and the New York Times.
