“What am I doing wrong?” That’s the first question business owners ask themselves when their website isn’t bringing enough conversions. The answer is that everything from the use of colours to the positioning of CTAs (calls to action) might be affecting your website’s conversion rates.
You’ll find tons of tips and tricks on how to generate traffic online, but not a lot of them will tell you how to actually use web design to turn visitors into customers. For that, you’ll have to primarily review the overall design, layout, and UX experience of your website. Here’s what you need to focus on:
- Bad Design
We’re using “bad design” as an umbrella term for multiple issues that may be hindering your website’s conversion rate. Things like outdated graphics, poor navigation, too many clashing elements and poor quality content can all affect how visitors interact with your website. Here are some typical elements that fall under this category:
- Too many design elements
Landing pages with too many elements can be a nightmare, especially for first-time website visitors. Take a look at your website from a first-time visitor’s perspective. Are you clear in your messaging? Do you have too many buttons leading to different landing pages? If your answer is yes, then it’s time to simplify the design in order to improve user experience.
- Your website isn’t intuitive enough
To make a website intuitive, you have to establish a natural flow and make it easy for visitors to use it. Intuitive design means that when a user lands on a website page, they know exactly what they need to do because their attention is directed to important information. In order to achieve this, your website must be razor sharp, fast, responsive and highlight the important information about your business straight from the beginning.
- Your design is outdated
Web design trends are constantly changing, so it’s good to do a full revision of your own website once every few years in order to give it a modern, updated look.
- Poor Navigation
It is important to keep your website in top shape and make sure that there are no dead ends (404 pages) and unnecessary links. This directly relates to intuitive website design because the content and the design of all your website’s pages should be impeccable as you lead your visitors through their customer journey. For example, if you have an online store, you can’t expect a user to jump to check out right from the start. You have to teach them about your product and your brand, and provide them with answers to their questions in order to build trust. Remember, a client won’t buy your service or product unless they’re convinced that they’ll get their money’s worth.
- Slow Website
According to recent stats, 40% of users will leave a website that loads longer than 3 seconds and 47% of users expect a page to load in 2 seconds or less. If your website is slow to load, you’ve probably found one culprit of your low conversion rate. Unoptimized images, too much flash content, messy code, all that (and more) needs to be fixed in order to improve your website’s speed.
- You’re Targeting the Wrong Audience
What good will come out of having a mass amount of website visits if none of them will convert? That’s why the content and the overall design of your website needs to be directed towards your main demographic. Use your digital marketing strategies to draw the attention of an audience that will actually interact with your brand.
- Poor Mobile Experience
It’s a well-known fact that mobile is the dominant channel used for online searches. An intuitive and smart mobile web design can make a huge difference in how many conversions you get. Review your website’s mobile version to the tiniest detail to make sure you’re offering the best possible experience. Optimizing your content (due to screen size limitations, not everything from your desktop version should be there), posting smaller images, highlighting your calls to action, reducing forms, and simplifying navigation is a good place to start.
These 5 common website issues will not only affect how many conversions you get, but they can also leave some serious damage to your brand’s reputation. That’s why you need a reputable web design agency that can build you a top-of-the-line website with conversions in mind.
