With all the best intentions, sometimes an e-commerce site is just not meant to be. Sometimes, however, it is, and the failure isn’t to do with the idea or the level of service the company provides – it’s all about the website, which is essentially the link between your company and your potential customers. If you’re not getting the number of visitors you’d like to be getting, then take a read below. Could it be because of one or more of these fifteen reasons?
The Content Is Non-Existent
Ah, yes, a minimalist website does have its qualities, but those qualities are not a match for having good, high quality content spread throughout the different pages of your website. You should be ensuring your website is peppered with content, from videos to infographics to well thought out evergreen content. All the good stuff, essentially, that people will actually engage with and be well served by.
The Content Is Poor
If you do already have a content, then you might want to get your magnifying glass out and take a proper look at what’s on there. Is it possible that the content is substandard? Nothing turns a visitor off quite like obvious typos and grammatical errors. Even if you’re an A+ writer, you still need to make sure your content is good: on every page, ask yourself what the content adds to your user’s experience. If it’s nothing, then it can probably go!
The Design Factor
The very first thing a visitor to your site will notice is its design. And if they don’t like what they see, then there’ll be hitting the small X or back button pretty quickly. It’s imperative you take the time to ensure your website design is fit for purpose, and that it is regularly updated to match the design trends that occur all the time in the digital world. Even if you’re still happy with how your site looks, it can pay to be proactive and make the switch before it looks even one day out of date. It’s your best defence against an initial ‘no’ from visitors.
Source: Pexels.com
Trouble Getting Around
We talked about content above, and sometimes isn’t whether it’s good or bad – it’s whether people can even get to it. Your website shouldn’t be overly complicated to navigate. Even if you think it’s clever that you have to pop a balloon (as an example) to get to the content, think of it from the perspective of someone who maybe isn’t as interested in gimmicks and just wants to get to what’s behind the balloons as fast as possible. Similarly, having too much content can also hurt you. If you’re in the hotel business, for example, then nobody will want to sift through page and page of hotel history when they’re just trying to find your rates.
Your Budget Went On Getting It Online
Some people seem to be under the impression that getting a website up and running online is the hard part. It’s not: that’s the easy part. Your work only really begins when the site is online. Before developing your website, make sure you’re setting a sizeable chunk of your budget to how you’ll be marketing your site, because that’ll be how you get visitors to your site. If you don’t know where to begin, read around the best ways to market your site – some of the ideas are quite creative.
SEO? What’s That?
Google will not be tricked into putting your site to the top its search rankings just because you put in a few keywords here and there. Your website needs to be fully compatible with the requirements of search engines like Google and Bing. If they can’t find your site, then it’s highly unlikely that anybody else will either, so make sure your website is watertight when it comes to SEO.
Those Adverts
Depending on the type of business site you’re operating, it might be likely that you need adverts to help keep the site operational. People aren’t predisposed to hate adverts (though that might be changing), but they are predisposed to hating too many adverts, especially ones that are invasive. If you go chasing too many dollars and put too many adverts on your site, you’ll have the reverse happen – people will leave your site and your revenue will be reduced.
You’re an Island
It’s an interconnected digital world, and if you’re not apart of it then you’ll be cast adrift in favor of those who are willing to be a part of it. Have visitors believe that you’re part of the wider internet by integrating a community aspect to your site. Having share buttons – such as Facebook, Twitter, and email – gives the website a sense of relevancy. They also help get the word out about your site, and that’s what it’s all about.
You’re Breaking the Law
Now, we’re sure you’re not intentionally breaking the law, but it does happen to people unexpectedly – and can have fatal consequences for your website. Using images on your site without the proper license, hosting copyrighted media, and so on can get you in hot water – and can end up costing you quite a lot of money. This might be a good time to mention: you should aim to have original, high quality images on your site whenever possible.
Here’s an Update: There Are No Updates
If you visit a website one time, and then visit again six months late and it’s exactly the same, then you’re unlikely to stick around for very long. It doesn’t matter if the content is on your site is top quality, if people have already read it then there’s much to click around for, is there? Aim to post new material regularly. Even if the majority of your content stays the same, having something like a blog is a great – and cost effective – way to post new material regularly and draw new people in.
Your Web Address Isn’t Strong Enough
Sometimes, it’s not even about what’s on your website. It’s about the URL at the top. Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with having a creative website domain name, but it gets problematic if it’s so obscure that people have no idea what the website may be about. It’s even worse if your domain name is your own name: also you’re called Justin Bieber or Beyonce, it’s highly unlikely that anyone is searching for your name. Equally, invest in a proper url. There’s nobody in the world who would trust a website with a name such as www.besttrainersforyou.blogspot.biz, no matter how good their deals on trainers were.
Source: Pexels.com
Site Isn’t Optimised for Mobile or Tablet
This is one area that has seen much improvement in the past couple of years, but there are still some sites out there who don’t fully appreciate just how important it is to have a responsive website that works as equally as well on a smartphone and tablet as it does on a desktop computer. A high percentage of internet activity now takes place on devices other than a computer, and if you’re a smartphone owner yourself then you know how annoying it is get a website built for desktop on your tiny screen.
Vague With Details
If there’s anything that your website (also your Google business page) shouldn’t be, it’s vague. You don’t want to have people scratching their head when it comes to finding your prices or phone number: you want them to be able to get the information they need to become a customer as easily as possible. Some websites mask their prices until the user has jumped through a few hoops, but this doesn’t trick the customer into making the purchase; it just annoys them. Be up front about where you’re located, your opening hours, prices and services and your website visitors will have no reason to complain.
Autoplay
Now, there is some logic into having media on your website that plays automatically for a website user. That’s one view: the other view is that it’s annoying, invasive, rude, and a whole host of other adjectives you don’t want people to associate with your website. No matter how much you might enjoy music or the video you played, the user didn’t sign up for it. There are exceptions to this rule, but tread lightly. If you want to play a sound of the waves gently lapping against the shore, then it might be a good idea. If you want an obnoxious video to play, steer clear.
It’s Boring
The final reason your website might not be having the levels of interaction you’d like to see might be because: it’s boring. No matter what industry you’re in, there’s always a chance to inject a level of fun and excitement into your website. Not everything has to be all serious and designed with a clear objective in mind. Make your site engaging for the visitor and you’ll see your results improve. And you might just enjoy incorporating them into your site too!
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