3 reasons your website is losing visitors (and how to fix it)
Why is that some websites lose our interest quickly while others keep us clicking? Read on to learn how to drive website traffic to your site.
As marketers, we can spend a lot of time trying to drive website traffic to our business.
We may create killer campaigns, pay for advertising or perhaps pump up our social media. Yet, that’s only half of the job. Once someone lands on our websites, we want to keep them there long enough to be converted into a lead, right? And according to this Hubspot article, you’ve got around 15 seconds to do that.
Where might your website be going wrong?
1. You’re making people click too much
If it takes more than three clicks to find a particular product or service, your visitor is unlikely to stick around. If your business has multiple offerings, it’s important to present each one clearly. Aim for a simple interface that speaks directly to your target market. In 2015, the winner of Australian Web Awards was the State Revenue Office. Despite having many offerings, (which could be potentially confusing), the site has excellent usability. Its simple, direct interface is easy-to-use and hits the mark.
2. You’re not telling them what you do
I recently went to a networking event and was astounded by how many people couldn’t succinctly describe their business. And unsurprisingly, this translated to their website!
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Think of the person who lands on your website knowing nothing about it. If you’re confused about what you offer, your visitor will be too. Start by focusing on the core function of your business. Once you have nailed that, it will be easier to explain the rest of your offerings in greater detail.
3. You’re not telling them what you want them to do
I stumbled across a stunning website the other day. Visually, it ticked all the right boxes. The descriptions of the services were enticing and it was easy to navigate. However, once I’d browsed around I was left wondering what to do. Was I to call someone? Click through to the checkout? Email? Nowhere on the site was there a call to action. Nowhere was there a ‘next step’ button. What did I end up doing? Nothing. What a shame.
What else can you do to make sure visitors stay?
1. Use metrics
Whether you use the metrics of your web provider, Google Analytics, WordPress or something entirely different, pay attention to website metrics. Monitoring visitor behaviour such as the bounce rate can be incredibly useful. For example, a high bounce rate means that a particular page is sending people away from your site. Similarly, look at which of your pages has a low bounce rate. Compare the two. What can you add to the poor performing page to improve it, or do you even need that page at all?
2. Clarity
What does your business do? Get super clear on your offerings. Then, review the pathway visitors need to take to find out about every single product or service on the site. How many clicks does it take to get to each? If it’s more than three, it needs revision. Keep it simple, clear and direct.
3. Usability
Make sure your website is completely free of dead pages or broken links. Free tools like this will identify any broken links or errors pages. A clean website makes for a more professional impression.
A website can be an incredibly powerful tool. Done well, it will attract the right customers and invite them to engage with your products or services. Just remember that first impressions do last. Think of visitors to your website like visitors to your own home. To drive website traffic to your business, you want to make your visitors feel welcome, comfortable and make the experience so positive, that they won’t want to leave.
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