Here’s Why People Are Leaving Your Website (And You’re Losing Business)

Every company sets up a website with the intention to gain publicity for their brand, attract potential customers, and persuade them to make a purchase. Are people leaving your website too soon without making a purchase or taking any action? A high bounce rate can undermine your efforts to compel prospects and convert them into paying customers. That’s why just attracting visitors to your website is not enough. 

Keeping people interested is not the easiest task on the internet. There are hundreds and thousands of other businesses competing for their attention. If your website is not exceeding customer expectations, you are missing out on a major opportunity.

A high bounce rate is not a mere coincidence. We’re summarizing some common reasons why visitors are leaving your website. Take a look.

Complicated Navigation

There are several design elements that you can experiment with, but navigation is not one of them. Navigating your website should be straightforward and predictable. Users should be able to easily find what they are looking for. 

Slow Loading Speed

Your website takes a few minutes to load. That’s not too bad, right? Wrong! It’s killing your website’s potential. 

People on the internet are impatient with shrinking attention spans. Expecting them to stay patient with your slow-loading website is just wishful thinking. According to new research by Google, 53% of the users will leave a website if it doesn’t load within three seconds. Take measures to refine your website’s speed and aim for a loading speed of three seconds or less.

Outdated Design

Even a great gift receives unfavorable reactions if it isn’t packaged beautifully. The same is applicable to your website. In addition to the technical elements, it’s also crucial to pay attention to the visual look of your website. That’s because users may not be able to look past an outdated website design. Ideally, your website should be an accurate representation of your brand. 

Forgetting Mobile Friendliness

Did you know that smartphone internet users are quickly surpassing desktop users? Your website should look just as good on a smaller screen as it does on a computer screen. Excessive panning, zooming, or scrolling creates a frustrating user experience. We suggest taking a mobile-first approach by incorporating mobile responsiveness from the very beginning. Whether a user is browsing your website on a phone or tablet, it should promise a great user experience across devices. 

Poorly Curated Content

Don’t make the mistake of underestimating what content can do for your website. A visually stunning website can’t win over customers with poorly curated content. Your content should be intentional, original, and useful. Users should be able to easily find key information.

Search engine optimization is also necessary to ensure your website is showing up on relevant search results. Consult a Charleston SEO agency to optimize your website.

Illegible Font 

Your website is a foundation for your online presence and not a neon sign on the Las Vegas Strip. Users shouldn’t struggle to read and understand your website. So flashy and over-the-top fonts are not the best choice. 

Pick an easy-to-read font and a high-contrast color combination to make a legible website. White space is another essential element for delivering a better user experience.

Underselling Products

A high-quality product won’t sell if it’s not advertised properly. Right from the product description to product images, your website should accurately market your products. You should highlight the benefits of your products for encouraging users to make a purchase. 

Too Many Ads

Imagine entering a store and being bombarded by multiple sales people trying to sell different things. That’s exactly how a user feels when they open a website and are immediately faced with several pop-up ads. Moreover, ads take away the focus from your website. Minimize the number of ads on your website and also consider a dedicated ad space on the bottom, top or side instead of annoying pop-ups.

Autoplay Elements

No one is ever prepared for a loud video or audio when they click on a website. It can be a jarring experience that will force a person to immediately exit the website, especially if they are at work or in a public setting. Instead of driving away valuable prospects, give users the option to watch the video if they want to.

Unnecessarily Long Signup Form

Asking visitors to fill a long signup form for using your website or completing a purchase will put them off. Make the signup process as easy and quick as possible by limiting the number of details to be filled out. Alternatively, you can also introduce ‘Guest Checkout’ for customers that can’t be bothered with the form at all. 

No CTA

Your website design and copy did a great job of intriguing and persuading customers. But it will be unsuccessful at converting visitors without an effective call-to-action. It’s your responsibility to urge the visitors to make a call, book an appointment or take any other action. Therefore, every page on your website should have at least one call to action.

Questionable Payment Processing

Even the slightest doubt about your payment processing can lead to cart abandonment. Questionable payment processing damages the credibility of your website and leads to a poor user experience. After all, no one wants to fall for a scam. From setting up the SSL certificate to making the login screen hacker-proof, take every step to secure your website’s payment systems.

Overusing Carousels

Carousels are a popular web design feature that you can find on every other website. However, it has been proven that carousels are ineffective and often lead to customers missing out on key information. They also lead to slow loading times and create an overall poor user experience.

The Bottom Line

Identifying and fixing the aforementioned issues will likely lower your website’s current bounce rate. Considering how much is relying on website design, it’s something you cannot afford to overlook when building an online presence. Instead of taking chances with a mediocre website, it would be best to consult a reputable professional for Atlanta web design.