10 Reasons People Are Leaving Your Website… And How To Get Them To Stay

1. Poor design

First impressions count. Research has found that it only takes 0.05 seconds for a visitor to make a snap judgement about your site, determining if they’re going to stay on-site or leave. A well designed and good looking website will create a greater sense of trustworthiness for users compared to one that is poorly designed. People attach credibility to the overall feel and look of a website, so don’t let poor design get in the way of your sales.

2. Excessive pop-ups and adverts

A newsletter pop up is good, pop-ups for discounts and sign up offers are even better – yes, I would like 10% off my first order, thanks. But anything more than this on eCommerce websites will begin driving potential customers away. Don’t use forms that cover the whole page and always show how to click off the pop-up – there’s nothing more annoying and jarring for customers than not being able to find their way back to the original page thanks to a stubborn pop-up.

3. Speed problems

According to Kissmetrics, 40% of people abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load. That may not sound like a long time but it’s enough to make potential customers jump ship. If your website is slow, you’re going to be missing out on valuable sales. Make sure you test your site speed and carry out the necessary steps to fix any potential issues.

Page loading times can be affected by things like:

• Image size and image format
• Using flash content
• Not compressing files
• Allowing too many adverts
• Using a poor quality hosting provider

4. Not mobile responsive

In today’s mobile-centric world, retailers who don’t yet have mobile responsive websites are really missing a trick. In fact, 57% of users wouldn’t recommend a business that has a poor mobile website. If you’re operating without a mobile responsive website, it won’t be providing a good user experience, resulting in higher numbers of people leaving. You need to make mobile experiences just as efficient as on desktop to keep users on-site and converting, regardless of device.

5. Lack of company information

People buy from people and it’s a really nice addition to have company information on your website, like an ‘About Us’ page or ‘Meet The Team’ style pages. It can be overlooked however or not seen as too important but adding this extra layer of personality to your website can do wonders for your conversion rates by generating trust and a company history that people can resonate with.

6. Poor navigation

If a user lands on your website and doesn’t know how to navigate it to find what they want easily, they’ll end up leaving. Make it straightforward and accessible to explore your website – test it as if you are a customer, make the journey they would and assess how you get on finding different products.

You may also consider things like; how well does the search functionality work? How many options are they presented with? Too many and the information overload will lead to higher bounce rates, too little and you are risking the same outcome. Get the balance right and people will stick around after being able to find what they’re there for!

7. The product doesn’t live up to expectations

If you’ve been running a campaign to direct customers to your website and once there, the product doesn’t match up, this will definitely lead to drop-offs. If the item description and images don’t quite match up people will simply go elsewhere. Counter this with consistent and genuine communication of what you’re selling throughout all contact points and on the product pages.

8. Autoplaying media

The most annoying one by far! When you click onto a website the last thing you need is to get bombarded with invasive video media, or sound. Remember, it’s a website not a MySpace profile circa 2002 – no one wants to hear a song (or video) on autoplay. If you think this media has a place on your website, make sure it’s optional to interact with it and positioned in fitting with the design – not obtrusive over the entire page.

9. Outdated content

I may be biased here, but outdated content on any site is a no-no if you want to come across well. It’s something I notice quite often and every time, it makes me think twice about making a purchase. If you’ve got a blog, make sure you keep the content up to date. An inactive blog doesn’t give off a good image for the business and you can keep it up to date with really fun, relevant content; seasonal buying guides, new product launches, company news etc.

This also goes for product pages; keep them updated and the content relevant and fresh. Invest in free browser extension Grammarly to make sure you’re void of typos and grammatical errors; the more professional the written content on your website is, people will stay. Poor copy, lack of up-to-date content and missing information will inevitably result in people leaving your website.

10. Hidden costs and delivery info

Transparency is key when it comes to delivery and shipping costs. A dedicated page for your delivery prices and general delivery information will help users make an informed decision about buying from you. Not having this information available will lead to customers dropping off and buying elsewhere. Linking to the above, keep this information up to date and always make relevant changes to shipping details for seasonal periods!