Top 10 CRO fails that has traffic leaving your website as soon as they find it
1. Low quality visuals
One of the key reasons people navigate away from a website in the first few seconds are to do with the visual design. If the design layout looks suspect or unprofessional, or is not connecting the visitor with your business in a positive way, then they will be gone before you can say ‘Welcome, here is our business.’
Main offenders are:
– Site layout is dated or obviously DIY
– Colours are too dull and do not align with your branding
– Visual elements are over the top and gimmicky
– Unprofessional images that are grainy, badly composed or inconsistent
– Generic or cheesy stock photos that are barely relevant to your business
2. Not mobile friendly
This is a subject that has been covered many times, but there are still a lot of websites out there that are not mobile friendly.
With more than half of all searches online being made from a mobile device, you risk sending over 50% of your visitors away as soon as they arrive on your website simply because it is hard to read on a smartphone or tablet.
3. Doesn’t appeal you your target audience
If your website design and content is not presented with your customers in mind, then they are going to be turned off as soon as they arrive, even if you have exactly what they are looking for.
If visitors can relate to the images you use, you are on your way to winning them over. Written content also needs to be languaged with your customers in mind.
4. No clear conversion path
A clear link to the next logical page for progressing along the conversion path is essential. If a visitor does not immediately see where to go next, then guess where they will go: somewhere else.
Keeping your layout and design elements predictable, with familiar look and placement of buttons and page links, will also help people find what they are looking for more easily. Calls to action need to be prominent and inviting. Where possible, keep them above the fold and don’t make them too salesy or have too many of them.
5. No signs of life
A website that’s outdated looks abandoned. Refresh your existing copy regularly, and add new, quality copy every week. This will also help the search engines and will give your customers more reasons to visit your website again and again.
If your site is old, invest in a new website design or site conversion so that it is current with up to date technology.
Ensure your offers and upcoming events are all current. There are few things more off-putting than seeing last month’s – or last year’s – specials prominently on display. Check your copyright date in the footer is for this year.
6. No About Us or Contact Us page
You may be surprised to know that not having an About and Contact page will send many people elsewhere to do business. Why? Because they don’t know you well enough.
Visitors like to check out your ‘About Us’ page to see who is involved in the business, and having staff profiles helps in building that early connection. Google Analytics data reveals that ‘About Us’ can be one of the most visited pages on the website.
The ‘Contact Us’ page also ranks highly. Having a simple web form without any basic contact information looks transient and suspicious, so your contact page, complete with location, email address and phone number, will reassure people that you are who – and where – you say you are.
7. No trust indicators
On the subject of trust, it is important you can convey authenticity about your business. The fastest way to do this is through trust indicators.
These can range from third party reviews to social proof. Potential customers are likely to Google you before they make contact: what will they find online about your business?
It also helps to display some of the following on your website:
– Industry body memberships and certifications
– Media mentions
– Key clients’ logos
– Testimonials
– Company partners Staff photographs
– Links to active social media accounts
8. It’s all about you (no WIIFM)
Information about your skills, qualifications and achievements are not what visitors want to read about on your homepage. Rather than make it all about you, your content should have a clear value proposition for the customer. In other words, what is the benefit to them?
Does what you are offering as a business:
– solve a problem
– meet a need or desire
– make a positive difference
– give them something they want at a good price
If so, you need to feature this prominently in your content and save the stuff about you for the About Us page.
9. Hard sell overload
TV and other traditional advertising has taught us to tune out the loud, in-your-face styles of promotion, so don’t be fooled into thinking that he who shouts loudest gets heard.
Websites that bombard visitors with messages like ‘buy now!’ or ‘Offer ends soon!’ are more likely to chase people away. Too many promotions and calls to action will create so much noise that your business message will go unheard.
Keep your site’s home page uncluttered, with a focus on the core products or services, laid out in a clear and logical way. Limit your calls to action and the number of specials you highlight.
10. Pop-ups, forms and moving parts
When a visitor lands on your website, the last thing they want is to have other windows pop up while they try to decide if this is the right site for them. Whether it is a third party ad or a prompt to become a member or subscribe to a newsletter, it is an unwelcome intrusion.
The same applies for moving elements and animations. If something moves on your site, you had better have a darn good reason for it. Leaves falling in the background, or a dancing bear holding a sale sign are not going to win you any business.
Sliders need to be set at a low change speed to avoid becoming annoying. Videos on a website have their place but don’t set them to auto-play. Audio that starts up on arrival is even worse. You don’t know where someone might be when they browse your site and sending them scrambling for the mute button because they are in the office – or the ensuite – will have them cursing the day you were born.
Craig Cochrane is an experienced web designer specialising in website performance and content marketing. His understanding of what affects website conversion rates provides proven results for his customers’ businesses.
For more help with achieving better website conversion rates for your business, contact Craig at Web Tonic.