Do you think your firm’s website is pretty good? Do you think it’s great? Here’s a chance to find out. The 12 most common architecture and engineering firm website mistakes are listed below.
Check off all of the mistakes that apply to your firm’s website, and then count them to determine your score.
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Content is written for search engines instead of for clients. Are you focused on trying to get to the top of a Google search, or on appealing to your existing and potential clients?
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Navigation is poorly designed and unintuitive. People shouldn’t have to figure out how to move around your website. It should be immediately clear.
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Links are broken. There’s almost nothing online as annoying as a hyperlink that goes nowhere. -
The site is not mobile-friendly (or mobileaware). Approximately 95% of people view websites primarily on their smartphones.
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You designed the site in-house (with no graphic designer or web developer). You’re an architect or engineer, not a web designer. Hire an expert!
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You spent too much or too little on your site. Did you go over your web design budget, or worse – are you resistant to pay much money for a well-designed site?
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Featured projects and/or news are out-of-date. You should be updating your online portfolio and news releases regularly.
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The site loads slowly. If your homepage doesn’t load in less than 3 seconds, most visitors will click it off and go elsewhere.
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The content is all about your firm. Potential clients want to hear about you can help them with their project, not just about how great all of your other projects were.
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There’s too much text. People only read about 28% of the words on your website.
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There’s no clear call-to-action. What are your web visitors supposed to do? Call you? Fill out a form? Make sure your call-to-action is obvious.
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Your firm’s contact info isn’t front-and-center. Most visitors to your site are just looking for a telephone number or address. Give it to them!
If your score is 10-12, your website is in bad shape and needs a total overhaul. If you scored 7-9, your website is still in bad shape and needs to be redeveloped. If you scored in the 4-6 range, that’s still not great, and you should consider a major reconfiguring of your website. And if you scored 1-3, that’s still no reason to pat yourself on the back. The goal is to reach a score of zero!
In order to grab and hold the most number of web viewers, to appeal to your A/E client base, and to get the most value and use from your website, you need to avoid making all 12 of these common mistakes.
PSMJ is always looking to publish diverse views on emerging issues and trends in the A/E/C industry. We invite you to submit a 500-word post on any industry-related topic. We look forward to hearing from you.
You also might be interested in these A/E firm website-related blog posts:
Are You Getting the Best ROI for Your Website?
How to Turn Your Website Into a Marketing Machine
Maintenance is the Key to the Best A/E Websites
The Only 3 Things Your Website Needs
Tips for Bulding a Contemporary Website
What are the Best Architectural Websites?