Nobody wants to tell you that your website stinks. But we care about you and your business, so we thought we’d share some of the most common mistakes we see among websites. This might hurt a little, but it’s for your own good.
You don’t have to have the slickest website on the web to deliver a good user experience. Take a look at the list below to see if any of these issues hit home. If so, your website might stink – but recognizing it is the first step to improving!
1 – It’s Not Mobile Friendly
It’s 2017, which means having a website that isn’t mobile friendly is like using a flip phone. Not only does it look outdated, but the functionality that people come to expect isn’t available.
Your website visitors don’t have patience for sites that aren’t smartphone compatible. According to Google’s research on mobile engagement:
- 61% of users said that if they didn’t find what they were looking for right away on a mobile site, they’d quickly move on to another site.
- 52% of mobile users report that a crappy mobile experience with a website makes them less likely to engage with that company.
- 48% said that if a site didn’t work well on their smartphones, it made them feel like the company didn’t care about their business.
If that wasn’t enough, keep in mind that you’re missing out on mobile search results with a site that isn’t designed for smartphone usage.
Bottom line here: Your site needs to work on all devices. If you’re not sure if your site is friendly for mobile users, give it a test here.
2 – Your Information Isn’t Clear
This mistake is common, as we are all familiar with our own businesses. Often, that means our web content doesn’t keep newcomers in mind. Don’t take for granted that a visitor to your website knows who you are or what you do. It should be abundantly clear (regardless of where that person lands on your site) what services you offer and how to get in touch with you.
If I have to dig a couple pages into the site just to figure out if you can do what I need, I’m gone.
Bottom line here: Keep new users in mind when designing your website, and ask yourself if they are able to get what they need easily from your navigation and content.
3 – The Site is Slower Than Molasses
We’ve come a long way since the dial-up internet days, and with that comes impatience for slow-loading websites.
The longer your webpages take to load, the more likely visitors are to leave. According to Kissmetrics, even a 1 second delay in page load speed can mean a 7% decrease in your conversions.
You can test your page speed to see if it needs improvement. Pingdom’s website speed test offers valuable feedback on areas for improvement, so you can focus on actionable items like reducing the size of photos or talking to your web developer about improvements in coding.
Bottom line here: Fast-loading content = happy website visitors.
4 – Content Is Outdated
If your business has a website, users are going to expect that it is the best source for accurate information about your company. Whether looking at your current menu of services, business hours, or your blog – it is essential that your website is up-to-date.
A red flag for many users is visiting a blog that hasn’t been updated in months or even years. That’s a signal that you don’t take care of your website, and can call into question the rest of the information you’re sharing.
Bottom line here: Update your website content regularly, and schedule audits to ensure users are getting accurate information.
Still not sure if your website stinks? Give us a shout for a free website check-up!
