You´ve made it! You have an online presence in a market that is somewhat complicated with many sudden changes and constant innovations that determine the definition of obsolete or not relevant on an almost a daily basis.
So kudos to you on that one. But the journey doesn't end there. You need to keep users engaged for there is no point in having a website that people visit but then immediately leave. You must keep the site frustration-free for the end-user or at least have minimum frustration levels as possible.
Making mistakes is not something we can control, but it would be wise to understand that a small mistake can cost you not just a sale - which affects revenue, so that's a no-no - but also can cost you customers loyalty. This means we are stepping in the reputation territory and trust us; you don't want that. Consider this list as something that will help you big time in case you're having trouble getting users to linger when visiting your website
1) Lack of responsiveness: Ok, this is not 1999 anymore where cellphones were only a commodity for some people, right now it would be hard to find somebody who´s not in possession of a mobile phone. Your customers, users, affiliates they all use cell phones, so it´s time you give to the mobile-friendly phenomenon the place it deserves. Besides, guess who just recently changed algorithms in order to lean search results towards mobile-friendly website? It was Google.
Websites that are not mobile friendly are destined to doom at the very bottom of the search engine results. Even so, unresponsive sites are meant to be extremely difficult to explore, so that leads to impending customer-frustration. So make sure that you focus your attention on the mobile-friendly aspect of your website.
2) No stranded users please: Nobody likes an unclear website that doesn't look organised. It will also become a frustrating experience for all users of your site. Customers may not know what they want most of the times, but they sure want to navigate through a website without the feeling that they´re lost.
That will make them look for your competitors meaning you will lose customer loyalty. In addition to it, if your website looks disorganised and unprofessional, that can bring an unsafe feeling towards your business. The way users navigate your website should be smooth and precise, not messy and unprofessional. So make sure you notice elements that can make navigation a hassle for your customers. This tool can help you identify how clear, the navigation path to your users.
3) Careful with the templates: Take a look on how cutting-edge your site looks to users and see if maybe it's time for a makeover. Usually, and according to studies, customers spend around 15 seconds in the landing page before clicking off your website (link).
As you can see it´s a small opportunity your business has in order to captivate users, so even though classical and vintage are fancy in other contexts, maybe it's not a good idea to keep that old web design of yours anymore. Remember that web design has two options, templates and customised.
Customised website design can always be improved while as for templates goes; it is a whole different story. Also, make sure your content is not updated, remember that users should always be engaged with what you have to offer especially in this always-changing online-environment.
4) Keep it simple: What you show on your website matters, but also what you write in it matters. Always make sure that your content is easy to read (spelling, grammar, terminology etc.) Try to go with something that goes easy on the eye that looks fresh. We all love colours and imagery, but user engagement is much more than that. Look for the colours that suit your business the most.
5) Spare me the annoying adds: Too many pop-ups can be upsetting for users. And even though many famous sites use them, customers may get bored or may also be reluctant to continue on your website if you overuse them. Reconsider how much are pop-ups affecting your online presence.
6) Videos that autoplay: Guess what, they are also annoying for website visitors as they can interrupt website exploring and prevent them from continuing their visit. Let's imagine for a moment what happens if the user is listening to music while they access your website and immediately after your auto play video starts running. They will click on that red X as fast as they can.
Remember Google's policy on that one: every time a users clicks out of your website and back to search result pages, search engines will consider this as lack of relevance in your information, and therefore your website will sink at the bottom of search results. Always put yourself in the customer's shoes.
7) Do you have an "about us" page?: Usually, when a website is doing great and has many visitors, the chances are that users will click on the "about us" link more than often. Potential customers tend to heavily rely on that page because it provides info on the business that can be identified as safe.
Therefore users will be more inclined towards doing business with your brand. It is like a little friendly push into completing that sale. So if you don't have one, make sure that you create one, revenue and users will thank you for it.
8) Personality issues: Take a closer look at the message that your brand wants to reflect its users and potential customers. If you have a concise idea of the reason why is your brand an excellent choice for users, then you´re halfway through. Make sure that your approach is reflected in the website, thus assuring customer satisfaction in the long run.
9) Three-second rule: One of the most significant flaws in websites nowadays is load times. Recent studies showed that if a page takes more than three seconds to load, users will turn immediately for the next vendor.
You´ll lose a sale and customer loyalty. Stay always in the top of the game by making regular tests on your website to help overcome those potentially expensive flaws. This is a significant aspect that can really determine the success of your site, check out this tool that can definitely help you test the speed of your website.
10) Wait, do I need this product? One of the best advice a brand can get is this: try to sell benefits not attributes. Get ahead of your customers identifying how can they benefit from your products. How is your product going to ease their lives? Complex terminology when describing features may drive away potential customers. Keep it simple and clear in the benefits department, and you´ll see positive results.
SUMMARY
Place yourself in the customer's shoes, try to see thing from their perspective. By achieving that you´ll have a clear and bright vision of what your audience needs and how to provide that for them. Once you integrate those elements into your website, you´ll see the payout.