5 Signs Your Business Might Look Unprofessional

Worried you might seem unprofessional to others? Our biggest fear as small business owners is that our business doesn’t look legitimate/professional or is perceived the wrong way online. But there are many ways to boost that trust! Here are some areas I’d recommend focusing on, as these are things that have caused me to not purchase/invest in a business personally.

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links. If you go through them to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I only share about companies that I truly believe in and use myself! For my details on affiliate links, please visit my terms of use.

Poor Website Design/Branding

If your website & branding looks like it belongs in the early 2000’s – it’s not going to perform the way you expect it to. These days, customers are comparing your website & brand to dozens of businesses they find online just like yours. They’re quick to exit out or consider purchasing from you if your brand doesn’t look aesthetically pleasing to them.

Let’s face it, there must’ve been a time where you didn’t purchase a product or service because the branding & website didn’t look the best. Good branding & website design helps form that first great impression, tells people what your business does & how you can help them, sets you apart from the competitors, and so many other elements – I could take about this for days! I offer custom website design & website templates (payment plans starting at $131) if you’re ready to take your website to the next level!

Here’s an example of a beautiful transformation I did for Natural Holistic Harmony, a holistic health & wellness coach. It’s a drastic difference! She had a typical website design you’d see a decade ago that used to be trendy, but she had trouble converting leads into clients. This new branding & website has helped her look more professional in her industry, leading to more sales.

Using a Personal Email Account

Anyone can create a generic email account, so it can be hard for people to trust businesses that didn’t take the next step of getting a business domain email. Having a professional business email will help build trust and show you’re legitimate. It shows you take your business seriously, and are willing to invest to be a professional in your field. I’m guilty of not investing in businesses that use a personal account because it seems fishy to me! It’s not a big business expense and makes a huge difference.

I always recommend Google Workspace as you get a professional Gmail account and access to all of Google’s tools, for as little as $6/month USD. All plans include the business essentials that I use every day such as Google Docs, Forms, Sheets, Drive and more!

An example of a good business email: hello@createwithdanielle.com

It shouldn’t be createwithdanielle@gmail.com – this is a personal account.

No Contract or Onboarding Process

This doesn’t only affect the consumer – but also your own business! You want to make sure you’re running your business legally and effectively to save you from headaches, wasting time and money.

Contracts & Privacy Policy

Contracts are SO important, and there are times where I didn’t receive a contract prior to working with a business and was told it was not needed – but it’s always needed if you are providing services to clients. I didn’t end up booking with them due to this.

I got my contract & privacy policy/terms for my website on The Contract Shop, and highly recommend it! Christina offers great legal templates for anything in your business without breaking the bank – from contracts, privacy policies, terms & conditions, affiliate program terms and more. It’s always best to get legal documents done custom to your business by a lawyer, but this is a great alternative if you’re a new business and not ready to invest thousands on this yet.

Having a legal contract and privacy policy on your website helps build trust with your consumers, showing them you’re open to business transparency.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer; this is just my personal opinion/recommendation. I always recommend looking at their website and information to see if it’s right for your business type before making your purchase.

Client Management

Want to get amazing referrals and also show them you’re the boss in your field? Having a good CRM system in place will make you look 100% more professional than sending some PDFs by email.

Honeybook is perfect for small businesses. It allows you to manage projects, book clients, send invoices and contracts, and much more! It’s the best for the wedding/beauty industry (wedding planners, photographers, makeup artists etc). Clients can have their own unique portal, and they always feel special. You can try it out with my code right here and you’ll get 50% off your first year! That’s as little as $4.50/month, using code createwithdanielle.

Dubsado is the main tool I use for my proposals, contracts (e-sign), questionnaires, invoices and call scheduling for my custom clients. Every single client that books with me say they trusted me because of this seamless process – and it’s all thanks to Dubsado! You can get a free 3 client trial right here – no time limit! Use code CreatewithDanielle for a 20% discount.

Using a Free Subdomain

Using a free domain provider by your website builder will never look as professional as a custom domain. Usually subdomains are provided when you’re not on a paid plan with Wix, Weebly, Squarespace, or another website builder. The thought of getting a free website is tempting, but it looks unprofessional and customers will find it quite difficult to take your website seriously.

I recommend GoDaddy or Google Domains for a custom domain which is approximately $20/year. The biggest expense would be paying for your monthly website plan/hosting which ranges depending on the platform you’re using.

An example of a custom domain:

createwithdanielle.com

It shouldn’t be createwithdanielle.wixsite.com or ending with your website platform’s name.

No Brand Clarity/Clear Message

Many small businesses overlook this: It’s what happens BEFORE the sale, that makes the sale. Consumers first explore their many options, eliminate brands that didn’t attract them or leave a good first impression, and go through many other stages before making a final decision. By having a clear brand and message, you will attract & build a good connection with the right audience. If you’re not sure whom you want to attract and why, it will be hard for your audience to resonate with your brand.

Your message should be clear the moment they land anywhere, whether it’s your website or social media platform. They should know who you serve, what you do & how you can help them.

In Conclusion

Every business owner needs to make decisions on where to invest! It all comes down to deciding what you should invest in first depending on your business goals. Taking these steps towards looking professional & confident online, will help your business succeed!