1. No Website at All

By far the worst mistake any dive store could make regarding websites is to not even have one (although some would argue that a totally ineffective website might be worse than none at all). Not having a website in this day and age is like not having a yellow pages ad in the 1980s.

If you don’t have a website, as far as most prospective customers are concerned, you simply don’t exist. It’s that simple.

The good news here is that, if you really were among that handful of Luddites who believe the Internet is the root of all evil, you probably wouldn’t be reading this.

The bottom line is, in today’s world, an effective, up-to-date dive store website is not only an integral part of your store’s overall marketing plan, it could well be the single most important component.

Now that you know what not to do with your store’s website, it’s time to read our companion article, Secrets of Effective Dive Store Websites. It will show you what the best dive store websites have in common.

Honorable Mention

Here are a couple more goofs that didn’t quite make our top ten list:

Sending Visitors Away: You put a lot of time and effort into getting visitors to go to your website. Once they are there, you want them to stay. Nevertheless, many dive stores link visitors to manufacturer, training agency or resort websites, so that they can learn more about equipment, classes or trips. Once at these other websites, they can either buy direct or find links to your competitors. If there is information you feel your customers need, put it on your website — don’t send them elsewhere for it. The longer visitors remain on your website, the more they will buy.

Splash Screens: These are home pages with nothing more than a pretty picture or animation that users have to click through to get to the answers they are seeking. (The worst have Flash animations that take forever to load and which may not let you get past them until they have played in their entirety.) Web design experts agree this is among the dumbest thing any website can do. Bottom line: People do not come to your website to be entertained. They do not come because they want to be “educated” or “informed.” They come because they are seeking answers to specific questions and the faster you can get them to those answers, the better.

Good Reads

The Unusually Useful Web Book: A great, nontechnical handbook for anyone who has to oversee the creation and maintenance of a website. Know what to say to designers and what to ask for.

Don't Make Me Think!: Stephen Krug’s common-sense take on website usability is an industry standard. Now in an updated second edition.

Secrets of Effective Dive Store Websites »

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