Have you ever clicked on a website only to immediately click the back button to look for a better option? This bouncing can result from multiple reasons: maybe the site is confusing, maybe the products aren’t right, or maybe the bright green text on the red background gives you a headache. (Yeah, we’ve seen it all.)

As a business owner, having customers frequently bounce off your website is a big problem. To maximize sales, your website design needs to grab attention, provide information, and guide visitors to ultimately act on your CTA. We’ve compiled a list of five ways your site may be causing potential customers to leave and some advice to avoid this problem.

1. Misunderstood Audience

Before you do anything else, you have to understand the people visiting your site. For example:

Are you targeting B2C or B2B buyers?
What are your users looking for when they visit your site?
What questions will they have and how can you satisfactorily answer them?
What demographic are you targeting?

These types of questions should shape the look, feel, and overarching design of your website. For example, if you run a plant nursery but haven’t focused on your audience, you may make a lot of toddler-rearing parents disappointed when they visit your site.

A great first step is to clarify your marketing message. This message isn’t just some content you write—it’s your brand identity. What sets you apart from competitors? What are your core values? Why should a consumer choose your products over others? A marketing message that answers these types of questions will naturally lead to a more focused website.

2. Confusing Navigation

Customers want instant answers to their questions, instant ways to solve their problems, and instant recommendations for the perfect product. If they have to jump through multiple hoops to find what they need, chances are they’ll leave.

Some of the best ways to clear up a messy UI include:

Clean up top-level navigation. With too many top-level navigation bars, each with its own drop-down menu, customers can get overwhelmed. Keep things clean and simple by limiting navigation buttons.
Follow the one-click rule. The one-click rule focuses less on limiting the number of customer clicks and more on making every single click important. Avoid non-destination content—each click should take customers closer to their goal.
Check out the checkout. Is it easy for customers to add and remove items from their cart? Can they checkout as a guest to streamline the process? Do they have payment options? These types of conveniences will make customers much more likely to complete a purchase.

Another great idea is to include a chat option on your site. This provides helpful customer service and allows visitors to get their questions answered easily.

3. Ineffective Content

The words and images on your site have the power to either draw visitors in or push them away. Some of the red flags to watch for when it comes to content include:

Large blocks of text with nothing to break it up (even bigger red flag if the font is small)
Text that blends in with the background or with images
Images that are unclear, blurry, or otherwise unprofessional
Fonts that are needlessly fancy or trendy

Content needs to be concise, punchy, and informative with a clear font-size hierarchy to emphasize what’s most important. Images should be high-resolution and purposeful, whether they’re focused on your products, work, or team. And everything needs to be both desktop- and mobile-friendly.

4. Slow Responsiveness

Not many people have the patience for slow websites nowadays. In fact, most users report only waiting five seconds for a page to load before they leave. So if that little loading circle is the first thing customers see, they’re probably going to bounce.

Many different factors influence how fast a website loads, including the volume of data on the site, the type of hosting, and even image type/size. Talk to a professional if you’re not sure how to streamline your site—fast speeds are a must.

5. Lack of Testimonials

People have come to rely on reviews for nearly everything, from choosing which movie to see to deciding which toilet paper to buy. Reviews act as proof that a product or service is worth the money—and customers are 80% more likely to choose businesses with better online reviews than those without them.

For an eCommerce business, products need to have reviews, and those reviews should be easy to see (and hopefully positive!). For businesses offering a service, highlighting 5-star reviews from your Google or Yelp page can show visitors how awesome the work you do is.

To help you get started, we offer online reputation management that helps you collect, manage, and share authentic reviews, all while evaluating any feedback to improve your business.

Say Goodbye to Website Woes for Good

Website design is tricky to get right, especially in today’s world full of conflicting advice, confusing tools, and high competition. At Element 99 Web Services, we specialize in helping you make your business stand out with a stellar online presence. Our web designers can help you build your perfect eCommerce store, boost your SEO, and maintain a top-notch online reputation.

If you want more customers to find, click on, and purchase from your website, get a quote from our experts today.