Plenty of businesses live or die based on their website and online presence. While that may not be the case for you, make no mistake, a website that isn’t user friendly is a bad thing, and it may be hurting you more than you realize.
It’s true that in a field as dynamic as online marketing there are no absolutes. Best practices and methods are constantly evolving, making it difficult for anyone who does not devote the whole of their work-based efforts to monitoring the field to keep up. Still, over time it is possible to come to a certain understanding of dos and don’ts as they apply to certain elements. One such consideration, that is at the root of nearly all online marketing efforts is conversions.
Ideally, we always want to do as much as we can to turn visitors into customers, however, conversions can also take the form of getting users to engage in a specific action, think signing up for a mailing list or demo, filling out a survey or requesting a quote.
When it comes to successful conversions, avoiding simple mistakes is as important as nailing the points on your checklist. We’ve rounded up some of the most detrimental, albeit common mistakes to avoid in order to keep your site primed for conversions.
It’s Pretty, But There’s Nothing Else On Offer
It is all too easy to fall into the trap of a site that is visually appealing, but offers little else. Make sure that usability and usefulness are taken care of first and foremost. The most beautiful site in the world will count for naught if users arrive to find that it doesn’t function as it should, or doesn’t have the information and features they need.
It’s Too Complicated
Remember, visitors are going to expect the information and features they want and need when they come to your site, but they are also going to expect ease of use. A site that is overly complex or frustratingly difficult will have people clicking away rather than clicking through and sticking around. After all, there are billions of pages on the Internet, and chances are users will find another one that has what they are after if your site can’t deliver it too them hassle-free.
There Is Too Much Going On
It’s true that your site is a destination for information about your business and a place to show off what you have on offer, but that doesn’t mean it has to be encyclopedic. Web users gravitate toward design that is simple and clean. Let users know what they need to know and allow them to engage, but don’t feel like you need enough bells and whistles to rival the Las Vegas strip to do so. Keep it clean and easy to use. Overwhelming visitors with too many options can distract from what you really want them to be doing on your site.
It’s Not Obvious to Users What You Want Them to Do
It may seem like something that doesn’t need to be stated, but it can be easy to forget that users cannot read our minds. While a site without calls to action may still see some conversions, suggesting an action to users has become a standard practice for a reason: It’s effective. Offer users some guidance and enjoy the results.
The Great Online is a Denver-based online marketing firm, but we’re not limited by our location. We assist businesses across the globe with their lead generation efforts. We live and breathe everything online, so our clients don’t have to.
