Have you recently launched a new website to sell your handmade goods but are seeing people bounce off quickly? Perhaps you’ve had a website for a long time and feel like visitors have been reducing more and more over time. What’s happening? Is there something missing? Maybe.
Websites require constant care and attention, and should be updated quite regularly. What users used to look for in websites is not the same as what modern users expect. Modern users want fast websites that are easy to use, no fluff, no clutter. So, what could your website be missing? I spoke to Ad Lab, an agency in London, who design, develop and advertise websites.
They have been in the industry for over a decade, so I felt like they would know a thing or two about the subject! I mean, who better to talk to than the professionals?
Deal with the slow speeds.
Maybe 30 seconds doesn’t seem like much time but would you wait 30 seconds for a website to load? I don’t think you would. I wouldn’t. According to a 2018 Google Research report, the average mobile website page takes 15.3 seconds to load. This is still not good enough for most users. A good page load speed is between 1-4 seconds, so you will have to optimise your website to ensure the speeds are as fast as possible.
Keep it simple.
How does your website look? Is it messy and cluttered? Can your customers find exactly what they are looking for? As Isablog says, “At the end of the day, if a user has trouble finding your products, they will most likely get frustrated and leave.” So, keep it as simple as possible. A messy website will create visual clutter and will make it difficult for users to find what they are looking for.
Mobile trumps desktop.
Nowadays, mobile websites are much more important than desktop websites. People take their phones everywhere and can easily browse countless websites on the so, so if your website is not mobile-friendly, people will leave. As Dork Face comments, “ensuring that your website functions properly and offers your visitors a good experience is key!” So, make sure your website works on mobile, tablet, desktop and in all the different browsers (i.e. Chrome, Firefox, Edge).
Think of the audience.
“Your headings and content should be driven by what your potential customers are looking for. Including keywords in your title is also very important for targeting your message and attracting the right audience.” States this article on HubSpot. You want your visitors and/or customers to land on your website and feel like they’ve landed on the right website.
Imagery also plays a big part in making sure people stay on your website. Modern users can differentiate unique photos from generic stock photos that they’ve seen time and time again on other websites. Generic stock photography might put off potential customers, so get some nice unique photography of your business, service and products instead.