Whether you’ve already built your website and are trying to figure out why, according to your analytics tools, people are bouncing from the site quickly, or you’re trying to mitigate this issue before you start working on the design and content, understanding why customers close the tab and walk away is essential to engagement, activation and retention.
The content is poorly written or pushy
Glaring grammatical mistakes and overt sales pitches quickly send consumers to another website. Poorly written content makes readers feel as if they’re likely to be scammed or the product offered is low-quality, and pages upon pages of “buy this now!!!” turn them off. Add in annoying popups asking for their information repeatedly, and they’re bound to leave.
The information doesn’t interest them
Stuffing your site and blog with anything and everything remotely relevant to your business might seem like a good idea, but it quickly overwhelms the average visitor. Instead, research what your customer base is searching for and tailor the initial content to those topics. From there, track what content performs the best, including the information and presentation, and steer your efforts in that direction.
The site isn’t optimized for mobile devices
Back in 2016, mobile internet usage surpassed desktop internet usage for the first time, and today, it’s still trending that way. 71% of the time Americans and Chinese spend online is via a mobile device. In Canada, it’s 62%; the UK, 61%; in Indonesia, it’s a whopping 91%. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile use, pages won’t load properly, scrolling is frustrating, and various components won’t work. Frustrated visitors leave and find the information they’re looking for elsewhere.
You don’t have the privacy information consumers expect from a site they trust
Consumers are savvy, and most know that if a site lacks a terms & conditions page, refund policy, about us page, or privacy and contact information, the company isn’t trustworthy. Even though most visitors won’t actually click on these pages, knowing that they’re there subconsciously creates a level of trust that keeps them on the site.
The site has an unattractive or dated design
How your site looks creates a strong first impression with consumers, and if the layout, color scheme and fonts appear unprofessional, they’ll view your company as unprofessional as well. Likewise, a website design that worked years ago probably hasn’t aged very well today (just compare the first iteration of Amazon or Google, from 1994 and 1998 respectively, to today’s versions and you’ll instantly see how a site can look old). Successful businesses pay for a professional design, and consistently add a few tweaks or new touches to keep the site fresh.
They can’t figure out how to find what they need
While you might love the look of an eclectic layout, if a website isn’t instinctively functional, people leave. Consumers want the information they’re looking for quickly, and they won’t spend more than a few minutes figuring out how to navigate to that information. Make sure that your links and pages are clear, organized, and intuitive to find. Web usability testing is a great way to assess your design and layout.
Consumers are fickle, and if they bounce from your site once, they aren’t likely to come back. Give your site an update to best appeal to the average consumer, then add targeted content and information for your specific consumer base. And remember, everything needs a little refresh once in a while.
