7 Reasons Why Business Websites Fail

by Victor J. McCoy

To fail means to not achieve an intended objective. Sometimes it is do to poor planning. A lack of, or misunderstanding of important details associated with an objective can result in failure. Unforeseen circumstances can also cause failure. In business, studies have shown that lack of execution is the primary cause of failure in most areas. An objective is set but for many reasons never executed.
When referring to website failure, it is the failure to achieve a specific objective that an organization has established for their website- assuming that a specific objective has been established.
Research has shown that between 80 to 90% of all websites fail and disappear from the World Wide Web altogether.

Before we look at the reasons why they fail we must determine “what do they fail at”.

1. They fail to be designed for the customer’s experience.
2. They fail in ranking well in organic search results.
3. They fail to communicate the brands value.
4. They fail to provide useful content to the customer.
5. They fail to update the design after a period of time. What was attractive in 2000 may not be in 2014.

The mission of your website should work in concert with the organizations overall marketing strategy. Your website is a vital player in the establishment and management of your brand. Many business owners and organizational leaders believe they need a presence on the web to legitimize there business - this is somewhat true. The question that must be asked is when potential customers or patrons view your website what do you want them to see and do? What type of experience do you want them to have? What should they be looking for? How do you want them to respond to what they read and see? Now lets look at the top reasons why business websites fail.

1. No clear objective for the website.

2. The design does not support the objective.

3. Failure to incorporate the website objective into the overall marketing strategy.

• No strategy for driving people to the website, or drawing people to it.

4. Failure to properly optimize the website for search engines and connecting them to social media platforms.

5. Dated content that is no longer engaging or represents what the business is now doing.

6. Hiring and amateur to develop and manage the website.

7. Bad code throughout the website.

These are but a few that I believe are the most critical to your websites and organizations success.