Welcome to KartHost! We’re excited to share a video from Andy at Orbit Media that outlines “13 Things To Remove From Your Website Immediately.” Each bullet point below includes our commentary on the topic discussed in the video. We invite you to join the discussion; leave your comment at the bottom of the page after the video.
1. Vague Homepage Headlines – The HERO section, also known as “above the fold,” is what people see first on your homepage. It’s crucial that visitors understand what you do within the first 5 seconds. At KartHost, we refer to this as the “Cave Man Grunt Test.” Does your page pass this test?
2. Generic Navigation Labels – Common labels like Company, Contact, and About Us should be placed in your footer. Link these to your “money pages,” which are the pages that directly or indirectly generate sales or interest in your products, services, or ideas.
3. Meaningless Subheads – Avoid using generic terms like “Our Solutions,” which are rarely searched for by your site visitors. Instead, opt for meaningful subheaders that resonate with your audience.
4. Homepage Slideshows – Typically, engagement drops significantly after the first slide. It’s better to focus on a single, compelling image or message.
5. Stock Photos of People – Authentic photos are more effective than stock images. They help to establish trust and connect with your audience on a personal level.
6. Social Media Icons in Headers – You’ve worked hard to bring visitors to your site; don’t send them away with prominent social media links in the header.
7. Dates on Blog Posts – For evergreen content, consider removing the date or placing it lower on the page. If you update articles, show both the original publication date and the update date. If you’re not planning to update a post, you might want to remove it entirely.
8. Long Paragraphs – Keep paragraphs short, ideally no longer than 3 lines. Most readers scan content, so avoid large blocks of text.
9. Press Releases – In the digital age, traditional press releases are often not suitable for direct internet publication.
10. PDFs – For better SEO, first create content in HTML. PDFs are hard to track and don’t perform well if they go viral.
11. The Testimonials Page – Ensure testimonials are authentic. Include the full name, job title, and company name of the person providing the testimonial, and if possible, their company logo. Authenticity is key in a world where many products and services can be fake.
12. Email Links on Your Website – Every email link is a potential spam magnet. Use an email alias instead of your real email address to protect your inbox.
13. Dead End Thank You Pages – Your Thank You page should not be a dead end, especially if it’s for a contact form or a purchase confirmation. Ensure it offers
further engagement options for the visitor.
We invite your comments after reading and viewing the video in our Comment Section below. Join the conversation and let us know your changes you will make and other thoughts!
