Did you know that approximately 95% of overall users who visit your website will simply not make a purchase? There are many reasons behind the science of why consumers don’t convert to customers when browsing which could be from as simple as poor, confusing content to a frustrating checkout system.

As a Cheshire web design agency, we understand the list of reasons why can becoming frustratingly long, but by drawing on our experience, we always implemented or at least recommend proven techniques we have found successful when building websites for our customers.

Regardless of your business size, industry or intentions, our Cheshire web design team have put together a checklist of 6 simple reasons why your customers may not be converting.

Poor Navigation

In most cases, poor navigation is usually the lead cause in bounced traffic. Speaking as a novice online shopper, there is nothing more frustrating than landing on a page and not being able to find the information you need, or being able to move around the website freely.

With tools available such as Lead Forensics, businesses can have the simple task of monitoring on-site search data and see where users are landing any why they are bouncing. Don’t be afraid to test the menu options yourself to make things has easy and as clear as possible. For more complex websites, look at the bread-crumbing used throughout the entire site… From a product, are you one click away from the contact page? From the testimonials, are you one click away from the products used in the example? These steps help consumers better navigate their online shopping experiences.

Page Loading Speed

Sadly, as a Cheshire web design agency, we love all the shiny new functionality elements we can add to a website to present their own identity. Unfortunately, visitors to your website frankly care much less about the bells and whistles and tend to care much more about the loading speed.

According to statistics provided by Kissmetrics, 40% of users abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load with a further second delay causing an additional 7% reduction. Speaking as a user, there is nothing more frustrating, especially when it’s adverts that are causing the issue!

Just like customers, if search engines that are crawling through your website find things slow, users will simply give up and move onto the next website which will have implications on your search engine rankings.

Websites such as Piston Heads & Stoke Sentinel are prime examples of poor loading speed due to multiple adverts.

Landing Page Communication

For those of you who are unsure, a landing page is a specific web page that a visitor can arrive on by clicking on a search engine listing, advertising campaign or social media message. The sole purpose is to promote and advertise a specific product, service or promotion with a view to capturing the visitor’s information.

When a user lands onto your landing page, the most common reasons why they are likely to leave are because the call-to-action isn’t clear, the offer doesn’t contain any type of visual media or are given the benefits of why they need to be a customer. However, the contact form is just as important.

Contact Form’s need to be as easy and simple as possible for a website visitor to become a lead. Don’t make forms too short because it’s hard to tell from a high or low quality lead but make sure they have to give enough information to be contactable and what they get out of the deal if they decide to sign up.

Lack of Testimonials / Case Studies

As simple as it sounds, half the online sales battle is convincing potential customers that you are a credible, trustworthy supplier. By adding content such as a recent testimonial or a case-study, you are gently easing them into feeling comfortable enough to make a purchase. Speaking from experience, we have found converted customers have always been drawn to our Portfolio page for example.

By having confidence in your service and products, you can also open up your testimonials, blogs or products to allow comments. After all, it only takes one positive comment to turn an unsure user into a customer. I know I have been guilty of that when purchasing various things on Amazon.

Checkout Experience

Over 60% of buyers abandon their shopping carts without completing a purchase and chances are very slim that they will ever return to complete the transaction. Its statistics like this why major online retails such as Amazon pay such close attention and try to make it as easy as possible without being to over keen to convert you to becoming a customer.

So you have an e-commerce store on your website, the essentials you have to check is that your checkout works smoothly on a mobile or tablet device. You also need to make sure you present all shipping costs and payment methods. As simple as it sounds, without this information, users are more likely to not bother if they cannot see the information clearly in front of them.

Conclusion

After reading this blog, hopefully by taking away even one of these ideas and implementing them as served its purpose. Taking things one step further, doesn’t be afraid to test and experiment with even the most basic things on your website. Try out different language in your content, different headings and even different images on your website and see if you can better optimize the path to conversion and overall customer experience.

If you are looking for a full website redesign or a website rebuild, don’t be afraid to get in touch with the Cheshire web design experts. Amongst our team, we have an in-depth knowledge in just about everything web-related. Feel free to give us a call on 01565 653616 or why not introduce yourself by sending us an email at info@untitledtm.com or better yet, fill out our easy contact form.