Unfortunately, the old adage, “If you build it, they will come” doesn’t apply to websites. If your not converting that traffic into customers, your site isn’t doing it’s job. If you’re having trouble turning visitors into customers, you may be guilty of one of these 13 reasons why people leave your website.
1. Your Site Takes Forever to Load
You only have a few seconds to capture someone’s attention. Google recommends that your site loads in under 3 seconds, for both desktop and mobile. Huge images, unnecessary plugins and general clutter are all factors that increase load times, so if you’re well over 3 seconds, it’s time to rethink your design and cut out the fat.
How to fix it
- Optimize your image to reduce their size.
- Remove any unnecessary plugins or features.
- Evaluate your theme. Many come bloated with code, plugins and features you may not even be using.
Related Reading: 7 Reasons Why Your Site Is Slow
2. Too Many Pop-ups Or Ads
Ads and pop-ups are not only annoying to users, but can actually deter people from buying, as pop-up ads are the least trusted form on advertising. If your site is running an ad based model, we understand you can’t remove all of your ads, but that doesn’t mean they need to be everywhere. If your bounce rate is high, pop ups and ads may be the reason.
How to fix it
- Remove popups or ads altogether.
- If you can’t remove ads, try replacing them with something less intrusive, like a slide-out.
3. You Autoplay Media
We aren’t always in a setting where we can listen to media, so it’s important to give people the choice on whether or not to hit the play button. Autoplaying videos eliminates your user’s choice. In most cases people will hit the close button on their browser before they hit mute, meaning you just lost out on a potential customer.
How to fix it
- Eliminate any background music on your site
- Give your users the option to play videos or audio files
4. Too Many Animations
Animations can definitely add some wow factor to your site, but only when used sparingly. Sites that overuse animations can become distracting and cause confusion. While they might look cool, automatic sliders and carousels offer very little benefit when it comes to conversions and SEO. Animations should never distract from the main goal of your site, which is to get people what they are looking for…quickly!
How to fix it
- Remove distracting slideshows or animations from your site.
- Tone things down with hover or scroll effects to give some oomph without causing confusion.
5. Poor Mobile Experience
It’s likely that more people are accessing your site via their phones than a computer, so a good mobile experience is a must. If you aren’t optimizing your site for a small screen, people will get frustrated and abandon it. Your images, content and layout needs to look just as beautiful on your phone as it does on your computer screen.
How to fix it
- Navigate your website on a mobile device and make note of things that need adjusting.
- Adjust or remove content to better fit a mobile screen.
- Make sure contact information (including forms) are optimized for mobile.
6. Your Photos Suck
We’ve talked about photography several times on this blog, but we’ll say it again. Good quality photos are essential for your website. No matter what industry you’re in, you need to make photos a priority. Not only do they sell your products, but they sell YOU. If you’re using low res, blurry, or generic photos to describe your products or services, you’ll come off as unprofessional and people will go somewhere else.
How to fix it
- Invest in a professional photographer if you can afford one.
- If a professional isn’t in your budget, look to high quality stock sites like Pexels or Unsplash.
- Set up a DIY light box and take your own photos.
Related Reading: The Best $400 We Spent on our Business
7. Your Copy is for SEO
Back in the day, when people wanted to rank highly for a certain keyword in Google, they would stuff that keyword unnaturally several times on a page. Luckily, Google has gotten much smarter with their algorithms, but nevertheless, we still see a lot of websites that are written for robots rather than people. If your content is written for SEO keywords, people will notice, and likely leave your site for something that sounds less spammy. Instead, write content that speaks to your users and helps them with whatever problem they’re having.
How to fix it
- Write content that is geared towards your clients.
- Place keywords in your copy where they would fit naturally.
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8. Unclear Navigation
If people are unsure where to go to get the information they need, they will likely just leave your site. It’s important to keep your navigation clear and concise so people can instantly find what they are looking for. Avoid having too many pages in your main navigation and use menu labels that make sense (ie. “About” instead of “Journey”).
How to fix it
- Avoid having too many pages in your main navigation.
- Use navigation labels that clearly describe your pages.
9. You Speak in Jargon
If you’re using technical jargon on your website, people may simply not understand if you can do what they need, forcing them to leave for someone else. Instead, gear your copy towards your clients. Address their problems and let them know exactly what you’ll do to help them.
How to fix it
- Address your client’s main problems and the ways you’ll go about solving them.
- Replace technical terms with language that is easy for anyone to understand.
10. You Never Update
Outdated content can make your users feel uneasy. If you haven’t updated your contact page to include your new location or haven’t written a blog post in a year, it make look like your company doesn’t have much going on. It’s important to keep your site up to date regularly with your latest and greatest. This also will help with search engine rankings.
How to fix it
- Go through all your pages and make sure your information is up to date.
- Write a new blog post to update people on your latest happenings.
11. Bad UI
If your website requires people to go through a maze to get what they want, they will lose patience. A poorly laid out navigation, endless options, or requiring people to click through multiple pages is bad for both user experience and SEO. People want to get what they need without doing too much. The easier you make that for them, the better.
How to fix it
- Make sure your navigation is clear and concise.
- Remove unnecessary page clicks to get to content.
- Make your checkout process easy by reducing options.
- Make contact forms short and easy to fill out.
Related Reading: The Relationship Between UX and SEO
12. Poor Calls To Action
If you’re not getting many leads from your website, it could be that people don’t know what to do. Calls to action are important for every page of your website. Most people are skimming your content instead of reading it word for word, so it’s important to make sure your calls to action are the first things people notice on your page. Use contrasting colors, bold text or images to highlight the areas on your pages that tell people what to do next.
How to fix it
- Place calls to action in prominent areas.
- Use contrasting colors and bold fonts to draw attention.
- Have a call to action on every page.
13. Only One Contact Option
People like having choices. Some people prefer sending an email over calling on the phone. The more options you give people to contact you, the less reluctant they will be to get in touch. We suggest adding a contact form, email, phone number and your social media links.
How to fix it
- Include a contact page on your site with multiple ways to get in touch.
- Don’t forget to add your social media links – a lot of people like to connect there!
Wrap Up
Turning visitors into customers isn’t as simple as just building a website. In order to turn traffic into customers, you need to make sure your site is speaking to your ideal clients.
