By David Jenkins, Digital Director
When it comes to growing your business, it’s hard to overstate the importance of your website. Whether it’s being discovered in organic search or being reviewed by a potential client, your site acts as both a digital storefront and a reflection of your brand. In many cases, it plays a major role in how you’re perceived and how well your business performs.
However, a business’s website is often one of the most overlooked problem areas. It’s a metaphorical leak that many businesses don’t even realize is costing them.
That’s why we’re highlighting some of the most common website misunderstandings in the business world today. We believe this list will help business leaders gain a better understanding of a crucial part of their operations – and provide a clear sense of next steps, if improvements are needed.
This is a widespread—and surprisingly common—challenge. When our team begins early conversations with a business about their marketing needs, websites inevitably come up. It’s not always our goal to pitch a new site. But once a company invests in marketing, more people will start visiting their website. And at that point, it’s crucial that what visitors find actually works.
Often, that’s not the case.
Many business websites were originally built just to “check the box”—created at some point in the company’s history without much thought given to performance, lead generation, or strategy. They exist, but they don’t drive meaningful results.
That’s where the problem starts. When we raise the topic of the website as part of a broader growth conversation, many business leaders try to move past it with a quick, “We already have one.”
And while that may be true, here’s the issue, put plainly: plenty of business websites look fine on the surface. Aesthetically, they’re not eyesores—but looks can be deceiving. Many are severely under-optimized in two critical areas: site architecture and page layout.
When it comes to site architecture, many websites lack the foundational pages needed to target high-value keywords or even properly showcase their services. As for layout, important information is often either missing, poorly organized, or buried—making it hard for visitors to understand what the business offers or take the next step.
So, how do you fix this?
Think of it like a home improvement project—there are two main paths. The first is to call in a professional, like Alpha Dog Advertising, and ask for insight. It’s the quickest and most effective option, but of course, it’s not free.
The second path is the DIY route. This can absolutely work, but it requires time and effort on your part. That effort starts with using free tools—like Google’s Keyword Planner—to research which industry-relevant terms people are actually searching for. Once you identify valuable keywords, the next step is simple: incorporate them into your site in a meaningful way.
Think of it this way: Imagine having the option to eat at a world-renowned Italian restaurant – but then popping open a can of ravioli and saying, “It’s Italian food, too.” Don’t let your website be that sad can of Boyardee.
This ties closely to the first issue, but with a few key twists. In this case, a company might have a decent-looking website—but it’s drastically under-optimized, resulting in very little activity. Because of that, business leaders often assume the website simply “doesn’t work.” And to be fair, they haven’t seen much success from it.
But here’s the reality: people aren’t using the site because they aren’t finding it. It’s not optimized for search engines, and there’s no real strategy in place to drive traffic.
This is where the misunderstanding creeps in. Many business owners assume their site is at least getting seen—and that people are just choosing not to engage with it. In reality, the site isn’t even entering the conversation. It’s invisible.
This issue is especially common in the B2B world, where decision-makers often write off their website as a lead source—without realizing their traffic is minimal. In many cases, it’s just internal team members checking the site.
So, how do you address this? Just like the previous issue, there are two main paths.
The first is to talk to a marketing professional and get their take on the best way to drive traffic to your site. That might mean SEO, PPC, social media ads—or a mix of strategies, depending on your goals.
The second is the DIY route. Start with keyword research. Identify search terms worth optimizing for on your site. If you’re in the B2B space, consider LinkedIn ads. If you’re B2C, Facebook or Instagram might be a better fit.
Either way, the key thing to understand is this: Your website is like a boat. If you don’t put fuel in it, it’s not going anywhere.
Even when businesses understand the importance of their website and invest in optimization, many still fall into a common trap: assuming that every user starts on the homepage.
Sure, some visitors do. But many – and often the most qualified – will not.
Here’s why: A properly optimized website should have individual pages dedicated to specific products or services. These are the pages that appear in search results when someone is actively looking for what you offer. For example, someone searching for “residential roof installation” is much more likely to land on a dedicated service page than a general homepage.
Because of that, your product and service pages must be optimized – not only for search, but also for a strong user experience and conversion.
And this leads to another misunderstanding: Some business leaders worry that a process requiring more than one or two clicks from the homepage will derail conversions. While it’s smart to keep things intuitive, that concern usually stems from the false assumption that everyone starts on the homepage.
But when you realize that many visitors are entering through “side doors,” your interior service pages, you can design those pages with much more clarity and intention. They’re not navigating the site the way you imagine.
So, what should you do? Make sure each of your services or products has its own dedicated page that can stand alone. These pages should inform, build trust, and encourage action—even if the visitor never sees your homepage.
Optimize for entry points, not just your homepage. That’s where first impressions are really made.
A common mistake among business owners is assuming that website visitors have the same short attention spans as social media users. While it’s true that grabbing attention quickly matters, that principle applies much more to platforms like TikTok, Instagram, or even print ads—where the content is secondary to the browsing experience.
Your website is different. When someone visits your site, it’s usually intentional—they’re actively looking for something. That gives you more freedom to present thoughtful, informative content. The goal isn’t to be brief at all costs—it’s to be clear, structured, and helpful.
If you cut too much content because you’re applying social media rules to your website, you can actually hurt conversions. A smart layout with the right depth of information beats minimalism for minimalism’s sake.
So, how do you address this? If your site feels overly simplistic, start by adding relevant, useful content. You don’t need to write a novel—just consider what your ideal customer would want to learn or see. If you’re comfortable editing your site, this can be a DIY fix. Or, if you want support, a marketing agency can help you restructure your pages for better performance.
A few smart website adjustments can go a long way, not just in how your business shows up online, but in how well it performs. And here’s the thing: a lot of your competitors probably have the same misunderstandings you do. But plenty of them don’t, which makes addressing these issues all the more important if you want to stay competitive.
The team at Alpha Dog Advertising is always happy to answer questions. And if you find yourself needing help with marketing or website strategy, we’d love to be the team you turn to.
Interested in discovering more? Let’s start a conversation.
© 2024 Alpha Dog Advertising, LLC. | Established 2009
