Attracting customers to your website in the first place can be difficult enough, but once there, it can be even more difficult to keep them. So what steps can you take to ensure you are not giving them a negative experience on your site?
Bad navigation
Links that are difficult to follow can be extremely frustrating. Make sure your menus are logical and easy to understand. Group your menus together in one easy to see central area rather than scattering them over the page amongst body text.
Advertisements
Adverts can be a great way to earn some extra money through your website, however ads that pop up, flash around the page and fill the entire browser can anger visitors. Make sure your adverts are discreet and tasteful, don’t cover up your content and are not the first thing your visitors see.
Bad structure
It’s estimated as many as 50% of sales are lost because the visitor can’t find what they’re looking for. Make sure your content and contact details are easy to find. Group similar content together, and put keywords that visitors are likely to be searching for in bold or another colour.
Audio and video
Don’t force a visitor to watch video or audio content. Always provide player controls, so they can decide when to watch. Visiting websites that start playing media the moment it loads can frustrate visitors.
Sign up to read more
Forcing visitors to register to view your content is in effect a physical barrier that could force your visitor to go elsewhere. If you must require them to sign up, make sure you provide them with a taste of what they can get with a free demo.
Boring content
40% of visitors don’t return to a website after having a negative experience. Try not make your website bland and useless.
Poor legibility
Avoid typefaces that are unnecessarily detailed, elaborate or hard to read. Excessive use of bright fluorescent colours can be distracting.
The colour palette, typeface and general tone of your website can have an enormous impact on customer retention and conversion rates, so if you are serious about retaining your visitors, hire a designer.
Keep your website up to date
Updating content regularly boosts interest levels in your site and contributes to higher rankings in search engines. Adding a blog to your website can be an easy way to add fresh content to your site.
If you need a review of your existing site, please contact me
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