Why Your Website Doesn’t Work

You’ve heard it before. Websites are a business essential. But maybe you haven’t been seeing the results you expected from your site.

Before you dismiss the importance of having a business website, do this internal check. You could be committing one of these five fatal flaws that drive customers away:

 

You Don’t Use CTAs

A CTA or call-to-action is a vital part of any online business. Without a clear CTA, potential customers are left lost, trying to figure out what to do next on your website. In most cases, site visitors won’t give you that benefit – they’ll simply leave.

No matter what page customers visit, there should be a CTA. This doesn’t mean every page needs a pitch for your product. What each page does need is suggested next steps.

For new visitors, you might have a “Start Here” tab that highlights your best content. Blog posts can either promote a product or simply guide users to other relevant content on your site. CTAs are key to moving online visitors down the buyer’s journey.

 

Your Site’s Navigation is Confusing

Many people leave a website frustrated because they couldn’t find what they wanted. Your website is probably easy for you to navigate – you designed it, after all! But it may not be as intuitive to customers.

Menus should all be worded clearly. Feel free to get creative, but make sure your audience can figure out what’s behind that click. Keep all essential information as easy to find as possible. Customers should be able to contact you or join your email list with minimal effort.

All of these tips are part of your UX and UI, or User Experience Design and User Interface Design. UI deals mainly with the surface and look of your website, while UX is more technical, but you need both for good usability.

 

 

Your Loading Time Feels like Dial-Up Internet

According to a 2005 study, people develop first impressions of a website in just 50 milliseconds. And if your website’s first few seconds is all loading time, your content and design won’t even get a chance to shine.

Limit the amount of video, animations, or other slow-loading features on a single page. You can also use software and plug-ins that automatically compress files so they load more quickly. Finally, make sure your web hosting provider can handle the traffic your website receives.

 

You Haven’t Optimized for Mobile

Websites aren’t limited to desktops. In October 2016, mobile web browsing surpassed desktop browsing with a lead of 51.3 percent. This is great news for you – more people have easy access to your website than ever before. But it also means that your site must be able to function on mobile.

Wonky formatting, text that’s too small, and strange controls are all flaws that deter customers from staying on your site. Look up your site on a smartphone right now and browse. If something’s off, check with your web developer or site host to get it fixed ASAP.

 

Your SEO is Lacking

If you’re still unsure about what SEO is, it should be the first thing you address. SEO, or search engine optimization, helps people find your website in search engines. A whopping 93 percent of browsing sessions start from a search engine.

It’s difficult to rank on the first page of Google. But when people search for similar businesses in your area, your business should come up. Otherwise, you could be losing thousands in potential revenue.

Start with the basics, like optimizing your web pages for relevant keywords. From there, you can look into image optimization, clear content, and relevant links.

For website optimization, including that important SEO, UX, and UI, reach out to our professionals at Creative MMS today.