Seven Website Issues That Can Get You in Hot Water
Many professionals and businesses think they can set-it-and-forget-it when it comes to their website. They are so wrong. Here’s what you shouldn’t do.
![An adult types on a laptop, only their hands showing.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QJNEojazVFvk369ok9Cit3-415-80.jpg)
An informative, accurate and accessible website has the power to enhance the credibility of a business or professional — or greatly detract from them. However, as Hanford, Calif.-based website developer Katherine Andes points out, “Many individuals and companies do not understand the consequences of failing to properly maintain their website and being certain that what they say to the world is, in fact, accurate.”
She set out a list of the things that have the potential to cause a loss of business or, worse yet, land you in legal trouble. Here’s what you don’t want to do:
1. Fail to update your website design and functionality.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hwgJ7osrMtUWhk5koeVme7-200-80.png](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hwgJ7osrMtUWhk5koeVme7-320-80.png)
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Consequences: Your site will look dated. Websites are like fashions. Styles change. So, you want to update the design and incorporate improvements in functionality. This will allow your content to be displayed on most devices, such as computers, tablets and smartphones.
2. Ask a friend or relative to do your website (to save money) rather than hiring a professional web designer.
Consequences: If your friend or relative knows what they’re doing, it might be OK. But if they are not being paid, they may not be prompt about doing the work, or they may decide to go on a long trip for several months, taking your website’s log-in credentials with them while they are impossible to reach. Hiring a professional connects you with someone who presumably knows what they are doing, will do a better job and are not likely to disappear on you, because web designing is their livelihood.
3. Assume your web designer can write your text. Worse yet, think you don’t need text.
Consequences: Thinking, “Photos of my dynamic product are sufficient, so I don’t need much text on my website,” is flawed reasoning because:
- Words help search engines such as Google find your company. To rank higher in search results, you need well-chosen language.
- Text establishes your expertise and authority.
- The failure to have adequate text can get you into legal trouble, especially if you are not explaining the details of your offerings or warranty protections. Someone might easily think, “I was misled by the attractive photos of the product.”
- Text is necessary to show specifications and what might be unique about an item you’re offering. Without that info, a potential customer won’t know if it’s suitable for their needs.
- Text helps to keep a customer from feeling buyer’s remorse and can keep you out of a fight with a credit card company wanting to reverse the charges.
4. Fail to update your website content — that could raise major legal issues.
Consequences: You must keep information current — especially if you change your prices. Not displaying accurate prices can be an invitation for someone to claim consumer fraud due to false and misleading web content.
It’s also important to have a prominent disclaimer in your site’s footer — which appears at the bottom of each page — that makes clear prices can change. Language along the lines of, “We keep this website current as best we can, but sometimes prices change before we can post them.”
Additionally, by not updating your content, search engines might conclude that you are not a relevant site, because the content is stale. So, delete old and irrelevant pages. A current website signals to customers your level of professionalism.
5. Skip adding alternative text tags on images, which risks an ADA violation.
Consequences: An alternative text tag describes, for example, what’s happening in a displayed photo, helping a visually impaired person to know what is showing on their screen.
While this is a highly complicated legal area, the best advice for anyone who sells items or services online to the public is to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Web hosting companies have tools that you can use to determine if your website is compliant. You do not want a disability lawsuit.
6. Neglect to put testimonials or project/portfolio images on your site.
Consequences: Testimonials are powerful validations of your product or service, especially in small communities where, with permission, you can use first and last names. Someone in that city or a nearby community might know that person and think that they are credible. A testimonial from someone in another city results in your page being search optimized for another area and improves your business’ ranking in search results.
Your website is an opportunity to show your work. Displaying a project or service, along with its location — which might be different from your main address — increases your website’s chances of ranking higher in search results for other cities.
7. Omit including your contact information — and in more than one place.
Consequences: If you want to cause aggravation, then don’t include a phone number that’s easily accessible — at the top, bottom and hopefully in the middle of each webpage. Make yourself accessible, and do not force a potential customer to fill out a lengthy form to reach you. They will move on to some other business or professional.
You can find more web design tips from Andes at her website, andesandassociates.com.
Dennis Beaver practices law in Bakersfield, Calif., and welcomes comments and questions from readers, which may be faxed to (661) 323-7993, or e-mailed to Lagombeaver1@gmail.com. And be sure to visit dennisbeaver.com.
Related Content
Get Kiplinger Today newsletter — free
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.
After attending Loyola University School of Law, H. Dennis Beaver joined California's Kern County District Attorney's Office, where he established a Consumer Fraud section. He is in the general practice of law and writes a syndicated newspaper column, "You and the Law." Through his column he offers readers in need of down-to-earth advice his help free of charge. "I know it sounds corny, but I just love to be able to use my education and experience to help, simply to help. When a reader contacts me, it is a gift."
-
Visa Is the Worst Dow Stock Wednesday. Here's Why
Visa stock is down sharply Wednesday after the credit card company came up short of revenue expectations for its fiscal Q3.
By Joey Solitro Published
-
Another Analyst Moves to the Sidelines on Tesla Stock After Earnings
Tesla stock is spiraling Wednesday after the EV maker's big earnings miss and Wall Street has been quick to weigh in. Here's what you need to know.
By Joey Solitro Published
-
Confused by Annuities? Making Sense of the Different Types
Many investors aren't sure if annuities are a good option for meeting financial goals. Let's look at the different categories, along with their pros and cons.
By Kris Maksimovich, AIF®, CRPC®, CPFA®, CRC® Published
-
Talkin' 'Bout My Generational Wealth: Baby Boomers
With retirement, each generation has different priorities and challenges. For Baby Boomers, it's a matter of ready or not, here it comes.
By Alvina Lo Published
-
How to Avoid a Big Hassle if Your Financed Car Gets Wrecked
How an insurance check is made out for repairs can cause a world of problems if the lienholder is left out.
By H. Dennis Beaver, Esq. Published
-
Estate Planning Strategies to Consider as Election Nears
Are big changes in tax laws coming soon? Not likely, but you might want to take advantage of higher estate and gift tax exemptions well before the end of 2025.
By David Handler, J.D. Published
-
How to Get Your Money's Worth From Your Financial Adviser
A good financial adviser will focus on how your financial planning and investment strategy align with your lifestyle and aspirations.
By Pam Krueger Published
-
Think of Prenups and Postnups as Financial Planning Tools
These contracts provide a clear framework for asset management and protection and are especially useful if you get married later in life.
By Andrew Hatherley, CDFA®, CRPC® Published
-
Congratulations on Your Raise: Three Things to Do With It
We're not saying you shouldn't spend it on a new car, but there are some considerations to guard against lifestyle creep and to help ensure a comfy retirement.
By Andrew Rosen, CFP®, CEP Published
-
Check Off These Four Financial Tasks to Finish 2024 Strong
The new year is a popular time to set financial goals, but now is the ideal time to check how you're doing. Four tweaks could make a big difference.
By Daniel Razvi, Esquire Published