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{
Website Throwdown
Roundup:
Common Website Mistakes & Trends
(and how to address them)
Brought to you by:

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Hosted By:
Bob Ruffolo
Founder and CEO,
IMPACT
@BobRuffolo
Tom DiScipio
Partner & Chief Strategy
Officer, IMPACT
@TomDiScipio
Jeffrey Vocell
Principal Product Marketing
Manager, HubSpot
@JVocell

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Join the Conversation on Twitter!
#WebsiteThrowdown
@impactbnd

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Over the last year, IMPACT has
welcomed some amazing experts
to #WebsiteThrowdown.
#WebsiteThrowdown

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#WebsiteThrowdown
Niti Shah,
HubSpot
Andy Crestodina,
Orbit Media
Doug Kessler,
Velocity Partners
Nick Salvatoriello
Jay Baer,
Convince & Convert
Dan Slagen,
Crayon
Brent Summers Luke Summerfield,
HubSpot
Stef Miller,
User Testing
David Meerman
Scott
Thanks for joining us ringside!

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And seen hundreds of viewer-
submitted websites.
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Here are the 10 most common
websites mistakes we’ve
encountered.
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Mistake #1:
Stock Photo Abuse & Misuse
#WebsiteThrowdown

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“Does THAT person even work
at YOUR company?!”
#WebsiteThrowdown
- David Meerman Scott

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Yikes.
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Everyone uses stock photography, but not everyone
uses it well. Misuse and overuse of stock photos can
lead to:
• Loss of Credibility
• Poor representation of your people, product, or
service
• Poor perception of your brand
• “Templated,” non-authentic experience
1. Stock Photo Abuse & Misuse
#WebsiteThrowdown

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#WebsiteThrowdown

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Is stock photography “bad” all-
the-time?
#WebsiteThrowdown

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No, you can make it work!
#WebsiteThrowdown

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But what’s better than
stock photography?
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Always use original photography when possible, but
when you can’t, use these tips:
● Align Photos With Your Persona & Brand
● Look for Candids - Avoid photos where people look
directly at the camera.
● Avoid Clichés
● Edit Them - Use image filters and crops.
● Try Unusual Sources like Unsplash, and always
consider legal attribution.
Key Takeaways
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Mistake #2:
No Clear Value Proposition
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Within seconds of landing on your
site your visitor should
understand what you’re selling,
what’s the benefit, who it’s for, and
why you’re different.
#WebsiteThrowdown

20.
#WebsiteThrowdown
Via
ConversionXL

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Huh?
Get it?
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Featured:
Aug. ‘15
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Your value proposition should ultimately answer
the following questions:
Key Takeaway
• What product or service is your company selling?
• What is the end-benefit of using it?
• Who is your target customer?
• What makes your offering unique and different?
#WebsiteThrowdown
Within 5 seconds, your value prop should
communicate the expected results, define your key
differentiators, and avoid hype.

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Mistake #3:
Disconnect Between Imagery &
Messaging
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Ask Yourself:
Is my imagery sending the right
message?
#WebsiteThrowdown

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1. Use imagery and symbols that will resonate with
your audience.
2. Use imagery that is relevant to your messaging.
Key Takeaways
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Mistake #4:
Overuse of Buzzwords
#WebsiteThrowdown

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“Innovation is the most overused
buzzword. So are the people that are
using it really that innovative?”
#WebsiteThrowdown
- David Meerman Scott

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4. Overuse of Buzzwords
Buzzwords are common terms like innovative,
scalable, cutting-edge, and enterprise-grade.
These terms don’t add any real value or describe your
solution in a credible way.
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Key Takeaways
1. Solve for the persona - Write content with words
they would actually use.
2. Show proof of your claims using:
• Case Studies & Customer Testimonials
• Actual Stats / Data
• Industry Awards & Certifications
• Authentic Photography
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Mistake #5:
Not Being Responsive /
Compatible
#WebsiteThrowdown

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5. Non-Responsive / Incompatible
Visitors aren’t accessing your website from just one
place. They’re coming from different browsers,
locations, operating systems, and devices.
Make sure your website experience is ready for
every visitor, on every device.
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Why is this so important?
#WebsiteThrowdown

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“We’re boosting the ranking
of mobile-friendly pages on
mobile search results”
– Takaki Makino, Google
Webmaster Trends Analyst
“More Google searches take
place on mobile devices
than on computers in 10
countries including the U.S.
and Japan” – Jerry Dischler,
Google VP of AdWords
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Mobile Internet Usage Exceeds
Desktop Internet Use.
#WebsiteThrowdown

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You want to
offer a
consistent
experience.
#WebsiteThrowdown

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1. Consider Responsive Design– Building your
website so that it automatically adapts to browsers,
and devices.
2. Test Every Browser & Device
3. Look at Your Analytics – Look at which devices
visitors are coming from and how long they’re
staying; Plan around their behavior.
Key Takeaways
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Mistake #6:
No Clear Path to Conversion
#WebsiteThrowdown

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A page without a CTA or form is a dead-end.
Consider how visitors are flowing through your website
and becoming customers – because if you don’t have
clear calls-to-action that path is broken.
Link in Google Results
Blog post
Subscribe to blog
Click on ad
Landing page
Purchase
#WebsiteThrowdown

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#WebsiteThrowdown

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Featured:
Jan. ‘15
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Make sure:
1. Your content resonates with your target persona.
2. You have a relevant call-to-action to the page content.
3. The call-to-action clearly states the value of the offering.
4. The call-to-action pops / is attention grabbing (red or orange).
5. Landing page continues to provide value.
6. Thank you page is optimized.
Key Takeaways
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Mistake #7:
Inconsistent Branding
#WebsiteThrowdown

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“A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories
and relationships that, taken together, account for a
consumer's decision to choose one product or
service over another.”
#WebsiteThrowdown
- Seth Godin

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Brand inconsistency can lead to:
• Miscommunication
• Brand Confusion
• Loss of Credibility (Less Dependable)
• Poor User Experience
7. Inconsistent Branding
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Google’s Brand
• Simple, Clear
Messaging
• Bold, Classic Colors
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Establish a brand and maintain it across everything
you do. Your landing pages, imagery, and copy
shouldn’t look or sound like they belong to another
company.
Key Takeaway
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Mistake #8:
Missed SEO Opportunities
#WebsiteThrowdown

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8. Missed SEO Opportunities
HubSpot has looked at 26,000 websites through their
Website Grader. The average SEO grade is a D-.
#WebsiteThrowdown

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IMPACT has found
dozens of sites with:
• Missing Title Tags
• Poor Alt-Text
• No Meta Description
• No H1
#WebsiteThrowdown

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What can you do to improve your
SEO today?
#WebsiteThrowdown

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1. Ensure every page contains a keyword optimized
page title.
2. Every page should have organized headers (H1,
H2s, etc.)
3. Every page should have a meta-description under
160 characters.
4. All images should have descriptive alt-text.
5. Help some of your most prominent pages rank
better with internal linking.
Key Takeaway: Quick SEO Fixes
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Mistake #9:
Ignoring the Buyer’s Journey
#WebsiteThrowdown

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9. Ignoring the Buyer’s Journey
The Buyer’s Journey is the active research process a
potential buyer goes through leading up to a purchase.
#WebsiteThrowdown

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#WebsiteThrowdown
80%
Ignored!
16%
Ignored!

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Key Takeaways
#WebsiteThrowdown
How to Be Effective for All Three Stages:
1. Understand your buyer (personas).
2. Create a lot of content for your personas.
3. Bucket content by journey stage.
4. Address gaps.
5. Make all offers helpful and attractive.
6. Social proof for all three stages.

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Mistake #10:
Poor Content Optimization
#WebsiteThrowdown

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10. Poor Content Optimization
Your content should help funnel visitors through the
buyer’s journey, not make them exit it.
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Key Takeaways
• Make your content relevant to the visitor and stage
they are in.
• Measure your content performance and replace
anything that is not contributing to your goals.
• Social proof helps provide a foundation for your
content and believability
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Next Steps:
Are you making these mistakes?
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Evaluate your site with HubSpot’s Website
Grader: websitegrader.com
#WebsiteThrowdown

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Talk to IMPACT About Your Marketing & Redesign:
offers.impactbnd.com/inbound-marketing-
consultation
#WebsiteThrowdown

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THANKS FOR JOINING US!
#WebsiteThrowdown