5 Mistakes to Avoid when Building a Personal Website

It doesn't really matter whether you're trying to develop your professional and personal life online, offline, or both - you need a personal website. Your website is your online storefront, your resume, your brand, and your connection to clients and customers from all over the world. As such, it needs to evoke the right emotions, establish a meaningful relationship with your audience, and enhance your personal brand to inspire conversions and customer loyalty.

Needless to say, this isn't something you can achieve with a website that looks like it belongs in the early 2000s or one that doesn't have a clear value proposition or scope that dedicates the entire customer experience. Let's put all these problems into perspective and go over the 5 mistakes you need to avoid when building a personal website.

Being vague instead of clear and concise

If there's anything first-time visitors hate, it's the feeling of not knowing where they are or what's going on when they hit a website. You have a very narrow chance of getting their attention and letting them know they are in the right place by showcasing your unique value proposition and what your personal brand is all about. Try to do this with vague phrasing and over-fancy storytelling (leave that for later) and you will always push them off your website.

People want fast results, and they want to know who you are and what you can do for them right away. To that end, you have to put your UVP and opening statement front and center. If you are a graphic designer, make sure the first thing people see is that you are a graphic designer - this is very straightforward and very effective. Apply this logic to your industry and tell the visitor what you do once they enter your site, followed by how and how you can help them.

Focusing on yourself instead of the customer

The "how to do it" part leads us to the next important mistake, which is focusing too much on yourself. You may be the most talented person in your field now, you may be your most experienced colleague, but none of that matters if you can't show the client how you can solve their problem. Focusing too much on yourself and your process or products is a common mistake that single entrepreneurs make because they think people care about them and their brand.

Remember that people don't care about you, they care that their problems are quickly resolved by someone who is skilled and trustworthy. Talking about yourself won't make them trust you, it will bore them and inspire them to click that back button. Instead, focus on your customers and the pain points they face. Tell right away how you deal with their challenges and how you can help solve problems from the ground up.

Using the wrong domain name extension

It should go without saying, but if you're running a personal business, you need a domain name to match. Usually, you will include your name in the canonical URL along with a keyword related to your business and industry. This is how you make sure that people remember your URL, but you also need to create a more personal domain name to make it more memorable by choosing the right extension.

It is important to choose a top-level domain that will tell Google that your website can be trusted, but instead of using a generic .com or .net, you can use a more personalized .me domain extension which gives your website a more intuitive look and feel that customers will appreciate. Whatever you do, make sure your domain name is clear, brief, and personal.

Putting your work in the back

People think that there are some unwritten rules and hierarchy of website pages that they have to follow no matter what. The truth is that after the homepage, you can arrange your pages the way you want, and the last thing you want to do is put your portfolio at the back of your site. People want quick access to your work, so you need to showcase your best projects right away.

You can do this by directing homepage content to your business or placing a CTA that will lead your visitors to your portfolio. You should also place your wallet high on the menu page or menu bar rather than leaving it out of the eyes of your visitors.

Designing the website for desktop only

Finally, don't shoot yourself by creating a website for just one type of visitor. People are consuming online content in a variety of ways now, and more often than not, people will try to access your site on their mobile phones.

Ensure that your website uses AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) to make mobile browsing smooth and all pages fit properly on all screen sizes. This will not only rank you higher in search results but also enhance user experience and satisfaction and inspire customers to make the best possible decision.

Wrapping up

Running your own business as an entrepreneur can be a much more efficient and rewarding process if you have a great website at your side. Make sure to avoid making these mistakes so that you can build your brand quickly and earn the respect and trust of your customers.