Businesses spend a lot of money on web design, SEO and advertising to drive web traffic so it is critical that people want to engage with your website so that they convert into customers. If you are using Google Analytics, a good measure for people who are leaving your website after viewing just one page is called bounce rate. Another measure of non-conversion is if people are browsing your site but they are not taking any actions like leaving their contact information or buying your products. Here, we have compiled some reasons why people leave and what you can do to fix these issues.
Slow Loading
Website speed is hugely impacts your bottom line. According to Kissmetrics, 47% of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less Enabling browser caching, not using a pre-made theme, choosing a fast server, optimizing images, CSS files and JavaScript and minifying codes are some of the ways you can speed up your website.
Not Responsive
If you still do not have a responsive website that adjusts automatically on mobile devices, you need to convert if you want to stay in business. Not only has mobile traffic surpassed traditional laptop and desktop traffic as of 2014 but Google is currently penalizing websites that are not mobile-friendly by burying them in mobile search results. According to Mobify, “30% of mobile customers abandon a transaction if the website is not optimized for mobile.”
Cluttered Homepage
There is nothing less appealing than trying to cram everything and anything on your homepage. Rather than just throwing up a rotating homepage banner and some text, consider your website goals and linking strategy to determine the essential elements of your website first. Anything on your website that does not engage, sell or educate should be removed. A purposefully designed homepage with plenty of white space will convert more visitors than a cluttered one.
Poor Design or Content
If your website lacks purpose, interactivity or stale content, most people will never return. Be sure to clearly articulate your offerings and how your target market can benefit from them. Avoid stock photography if your budget permits and shoot custom images that really reinforce your branding and messaging. Ensure that your visitors can easily find what they need and engage them with regularly updated news or offers. If you are featuring blog posts from 2015, at least hide the dates to make it less obvious. Finally, hire a web design company based on their portfolio and track record rather than solely based on price.
Poor Legibility
Your website must be scannable and legible. If your website reads like a legal document or if your body text is smaller than 16px, you are losing visitors. Limit bright or florescent colors to avoid distraction and ensure that there is enough contrast to support legibility.
Still using Flash
Mobile devices such as iPhones and iPads do not support Flash and Google does not index Flash content. Flash is expensive to develop and it is very difficult to update. Try using mobile-friendly technologies like HTML5 and CSS3.
Autoplay Video or Audio
Autoplay video or audio will override what the user is currently listening to and is obtrusive if the user is in a quiet area. Even worse, is that it will startle your user if their volume is turned up. Give users the option to play video or audio on their own and ensure that there is a clear exit option.
Complex Navigation
Your website menu is not the time to get creative. Your navigation needs to be simple and intuitive so that prospects can quickly locate the information they are looking for. Keep your menu as short as possible and only include links that are absolutely necessary. If you must have submenus, limit them to being only one level because navigating to subpages is difficult on mobile devices.
Too Many Ads or Popups
Everyone hates ads and popups. If you require someone to register with a popup before viewing your website content or if you bombard them with ads, chances are high that they will leave. If you must use popups, be sure to allow users to close it. If you must have ads to monetize, be tasteful and discreet about displaying ads.
No Clear Call-to-Action
By including a call-to-action at the end of every page, you are better directing your visitors and increasing the chances of conversion. To create a call-to-action, think about what you want your visitors to do. Do you want them to buy your product, subscribe to your blog, or become a lead by completing a contact form? If you are asking them to signup, be sure to tell them about the benefits.
Site Has Been Hacked
Because most hacks are invisible to users but remain harmful to anyone viewing your website, hacks need to be resolved as soon as possible. If your website has been hacked, Google will tag it as “This site has been hacked” when your website shows up in search results. Obviously having a hacked website is not good for business so be sure to keep WordPress updated and purchase website security software like Sucuri for peace of mind.
Broken Links or Images
404 errors or broken images create a negative user experience and really hurt your SEO. Here is a free SEO tool to check for broken images and links. You can also use Google Webmaster Tools to detect crawl errors or links to non-existent pages.
In Conclusion
If you encounter other reasons people leave websites, please tweet us @kwokdesign. If you need help addressing the website performance issues outlined above, please contact us.