6 Rookie Moves That Tank Digital Growth Early
When you’re starting a business, digital strategy might be in the back of your mind, something you’ll deal with later. You want clients, you want to make money, and basically just keep your head above water. If you have a working website and a few social media posts, that’s great, but a few small tech mistakes you make in the beginning can slow you down later. They might even cost you serious growth down the line.
Most business owners don’t realize they’ve made these rookie mistakes until it’s too late. But the good news is that it’s never really too late because everything can be fixed.
What’s even better is that they can be avoided altogether.
What to Avoid
If you’re wearing all the hats (like most people are early on), it’s overwhelming, so of course, you’ll make mistakes. But if you avoid these few things in the beginning, it’ll save you from a lot of frustration later.
1. Launching Without SEO Basics
Would you open a store in the middle of nowhere, with no signs, no directions, and no map? No, right? But that’s exactly what you do when you launch a website without paying any attention to SEO. SEO might sound technical and intimidating, so you skip it, but this will cost you a lot of traffic from the start.
Simple things like using the right keywords, writing clear page titles, and adding alt text to your images can make a lot of difference. A good place to begin is with free tools like Google Search Console and AnswerThePublic to see what your audience is searching for.
Even if you just learn the basics, it can still put you ahead in the game.
2. Neglecting Mobile Optimization
More than half of the people who visit your website are probably doing it from their phones. If your site doesn’t look good or work well on phones, most of these people are going to leave right away, and most likely won’t come back.
Mobile optimization means your site adjusts to different screen sizes, buttons are easy to tap, and everything loads smoothly. Tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test can show you exactly what you need to fix to make sure your online visibility is top-notch!
3. Ignoring Website Speed
Nobody likes waiting, but we tolerate it. That is, unless it’s online. If your website takes more than a few seconds to load, people won’t bother with it and they’ll end up clicking away; you definitely want to avoid that.
The usual culprits for this are huge image files, clunky plugins, and low-quality hosting.
The fix is pretty straightforward – compress your images, remove plugins you don’t need, and consider using a content delivery network (CDN). It would be ideal to hire IT support to do this for you, unless you know what you’re doing; but even if you do, then you know how complex, tedious, and time-consuming this process is, so it still might be best to hire a professional.
When doing so, factor in the price point/rates:
While rates in San Francisco and NYC will be higher compared to Kansas City, the actual service rates will be determined based on provider, location, complexity, and other contractual agreements.
But also consider that IT support companies might cover nearby markets. For example, Kansas City IT support could cover Omaha, St. Louis, and Virginia Beach, as well, due to the remote nature of the work. So, do keep in mind to check a broader range of contractors in order to get the most competitive rate.
4. Not Connecting Analytics or Tracking
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is flying blind. Without tracking tools, you have no idea who’s visiting your site, what they’re doing, and where they’re dropping off. This means that you can’t improve anything because you don’t know what’s working and what isn’t.
Start by installing GA4 (Google’s current version) and setting clear, simple goals. If you want to go deeper, tools like Hotjar can show heatmaps of how users interact with your pages.
5. Not Securing Digital Assets
Oh, I’m just a small business, who’ll bother hacking me? If this is how you think, you’re extremely vulnerable, and you aren’t even aware of it. Without basic security measures, you’re putting your business, your customers, and your reputation at risk. Skipping SSL certificates, using weak passwords, and forgetting to update your plugins (among others) can result in data breaches or malware.
Start with the basics – install an SSL certificate, use secure password managers, and keep your site up to date.
6. Building on Weak Infrastructure
At first, using a free website builder and cheap hosting can seem like a way to save money. But as time goes on, these tools can limit your growth, slow down your site, and cause a lot of headaches when you try to scale up. If your hosting goes down during a launch or your builder doesn’t let you customize important features, it’s a problem.
It’s better to invest in good infrastructure (e.g., a reliable host, a flexible CMS, secure backups, etc.).
Conclusion
No one builds a perfect business from day one, so there’s no point in trying. You’ll make mistakes and you’ll learn from them. But if you’re already aware of some of them (like you are now), wouldn’t it be better to avoid them?
The bottom line is, start small, be curious, and ask for help when you see you’re in over your head.