It is a problem too many companies have. Every month, they look at website traffic figures, and nothing is getting better. Meanwhile, online revenue continues to grow as a market, accounting for over $200 billion in U.S. sales. How can you improve your website in order to tap into this growing market? Here are three signs your website sucks, and tips for what you or your business website design company can do about it.
1. You Can Make a Cup of Coffee Before the Page Loads
Slowly loading pages will kill your website. Years ago it might have been okay, but today, users are accustomed to speed. Once your site takes four seconds to load, you will see a 25% page abandonment rate. Conversion rates similarly correlate to loading time. The difference between one to two seconds to load, and five to ten, is more than double the conversion rate. Also? Google likes pages that load fast, and rewards them with higher rankings. You will experience better SEO when you have better speed.
2. You have a Page Counter
Nothing says I Constructed This Page Myself in 2002 like a page counter. You do not need it, you should be using Google Analytics. Your readers do not need it, it offers them no information. Get rid of it, and while you are at it, chuck out busy backgrounds, under construction pages, automatic music, broken links, and cartoon illustrations.
3. Your Visitors Engage in a Scavenger Hunt
When people are viewing websites, they make constant, quick decisions about whether to stay or leave. Make sure important information is easy to get to. If someone comes to your site to buy a garden hose, they do not want to have to click through 10 pages to get to it. A well organized, inviting site provides a clear path to visitors. Remember that part of reducing the appearance of clutter is allowing a page to breathe. Studies show that adequate white space improves reader comprehension by 20%.
If your website sucks, you have several options on how to fix it. You can, of course, try and mend it yourself. You can also hire a business website development company. Read reviews, ask about extras, and look at example websites before signing on with any business website design companies. Good luck!
At what point did you know you had to contact a business website development company? Let us know in the comments!