10 Reasons People Are Leaving Your Site

Do you think people are getting what they want from your website? If you’re not seeing the results you had anticipated with your website, it may be an indicator that your site needs a little tweaking. If you can’t quite pin down why it’s unsuccessful, or why people may not be staying on your site it’s always beneficial to ask for an outside opinion, especially from a professional agency like Fusion Group USA. The main goal in designing sites is to make sure they are effective at reaching your personal business goals. Finding out why people are leaving your site is the first step in fixing the problem. Here are 10 reasons people may be leaving your site:
- Is your design outdated?
Did you have your site design a number of years back and just never bothered to have it updated or redesigned? If your site is outdated it could trigger the user to question if you’re still in business or even question your legitimacy. In one study, 75% of website visitors admitted to questioning credibility based solely on the website design.
- Your content is hard to read or understand.
There may be too much content on your page to the point that it’s overwhelming to readers, or your content is not written very well. Keeping things short and concise is the best way to go. People aren’t going to your site to read a novel, they are there to skim and find the information they are looking for fast. If you’re not a strong writer, consider hiring a copywriter to help you out – it’s their job to come up with compelling and interesting content to put on your site. Plus, if you find someone with SEO experience and knowledge they can help your site rank on search engines.
- You are bombarding people with ads!
If you got a little carried with advertising on your site, it might be having the opposite effect. Keep it to a minimum – you want to attract people, not chase them away. A survey completed by Trust in Advertising found that participants will trust in more traditional advertising like newspaper and magazine ads, billboards, or radio more than they trust an online banner ad. Too many online ads will not inspire trust with users, and this will not have a positive impact on conversion rates.
- Your navigation is confusing.
A lot of people say it’s not the destination that counts, but the journey. This isn’t necessarily true in terms of website navigation. People don’t want to have to click through numerous pages, enter their email address, and click on various sub categories to find what they are looking for. Many will simply give up and find what they are looking for elsewhere. Make sure that your navigation takes them on the appropriate journey to find what they want and make sure you are doing so with purpose. Each page needs a clear objective and people must be able to understand the objective as they are making their way through your site.
- Do you have to find something to keep you occupied while your site is loading?
If your site is slow, chances are you’re losing people left and right. People expect speed, and if they don’t get it they will leave for faster sites. If you’re having a hard time with site speed and trying to find ways to get your site to load faster, check out our blog “How Fast is Your Site?”.
- There is no call to action…or it’s just not compelling.
So people are visiting your site. But what’s next? You need to let people know what to do next. Do they need to sign up for your newsletter, buy something online, or contact you for more information? Adding a compelling, action-oriented call to action will catch people’s attention and let people know exactly what they need to do next to get the ball rolling. Be sure to make it appealing and eye-catching – maybe a button with an action verb that they can click.
- You have personality right? So should your site!
You don’t want your site to be generic and boring. You want it to be fresh and unique – so hire someone that knows what they’re doing! Building your own site or settling for a design agency that plugs your info into a stock, generic template and throws it out there could end up giving you a head ache. Be sure to check out the design agency you plan on using so that you can see samples of their work. You want their style to fit with your vision. Fusion Group USA has designed and developed some great websites for the Grand Junction, Colorado area and the Phoenix, Arizona area which you can check out in our Portfolio.
- Your site is looking a little neglected.
Your site should be updated regularly and information should be up to date. If you have a blog on your site, people pay attention to how often you post or if you’ve posted recently. This, similar to #1, demonstrates legitimacy and creates a sense of trustworthiness. If you have a
- Registration or information is required just to enter the site.
If I go a website and the first thing it asks me to do is enter an email address, I typically leave. The site has done nothing to make me want to enter my information in, not to mention I’ll probably get countless emails after entering in my email that I won’t look at. Let people look around your site and woo them – we all want to be wooed. Let them know what you can do for them, and then reel them in with a great call to action so that they feel like they should give you some information or register rather than feeling like they have to.
- Your site looks a little sketchy.
Be sure that you are building trust with your prospective customers. This ties in with a couple other points, but make sure that your site makes the customer feel their making the right choice in checking out your website. Stay consistent with your brand, make payment secure (and let people know it’s secure!), include testimonials and social proof that you actually exist, and make your site personal. Include an About Us and some REAL pictures of you and your staff in action.
Overall, if you feel that people are leaving your site for any or all of the reasons above, it’s probably time for some fixing or a complete redesign. Fusion Group USA has worked on a number of new designs and redesigns that boost business and business image. Call us today to learn more about what you can do to better your site!