Your website is one of the most important parts of your marketing efforts and can be the foundation for your entire business if you provide services, do business around the world, or run an e-commerce company.
Website visitors are easily frustrated and “bounce” or leave if something doesn’t load fast enough or if a shopping cart is too difficult to figure out. In fact, over 70% of carts on average are abandoned with items not purchased, according to Baymard Institute.
Here are a few elements you will want to ensure your website has in place to keep your potential customers interested, informed, and transforming into loyal clients.
Excellent Mobile Experience
With everyone using their phones more and more often, having an excellent mobile website is crucial to gaining new customers or ensuring users spend enough time on your website to complete the tasks you leave for them, whether that’s to purchase something, read a blog, or sign up for the newsletter.
More than half of all internet traffic now comes from phones, and more than half of those make a purchase from their phones. Other screen sizes are being used as well, so having a responsive website is the most efficient option to accommodate everyone.
Minimal Advertisements
It is a good idea to create a road map for website users to guide them to the actions you want them to complete. This can be accomplished with pop-ups, alerts, and other attention-getting strategies. But, once the website crosses the line and becomes annoying, this will be a reflection of your brand name, and people will leave. Interrupt their experience as little as possible, and only do so for important actions.
If you make your money through advertisements on a content-based website, again don’t be annoying. Advertisements slow the website down and are a nuisance to look at while trying to read. Keep it classy!
Clean, Streamlined User-Friendly Design
Everyone thinks differently, and many will not figure out what you want them to do on your website unless you make it very simple and obvious. It is your job to guide them through the conversion process, and ensure every step along the way is quick and painless. Use mouse heatmaps and analytics to see where the highest percentage of users are dropping off the site.
The user interface (UI) is incredibly important, but none of it matters if the website itself breaks easily. If you have a shopping cart, for example, make sure the application works well all the way through the transaction and payment. Check and double-check important buttons for newsletter signups and forms.
Fast Load Speed
There is nothing better to turn someone away from your website than slow load times. If your website takes longer than three seconds, nearly half of all users will give up immediately, and potentially find your competitor’s website instead. Site speed and performance are a top priority for any business who wants to attract new customers.