Is your business website a failure? 3 red flags you should pay attention to

Do you know how well your website is really performing? While a great website can help bring in business; a bad one may be costing you sales. 

The sad part is that even though you may have spent a ton of money on a site redesign it doesn’t guarantee it will increase sales.

Signs your website is underperforming

1. Low volume of visitors

Since your website is the primary marketing piece for your business, sending qualified visitors to it is fundamental for success.  Here are some tips to boost your site traffic and get more visitors to see your offerings:

• Advertise using Google Ad and other browser paid search, social media advertising, and display advertising. 
• Get actively involved in social media. These efforts can build a following and drive loyal fans to your website.
  
• Implement content marketing strategies by frequently adding search engine optimized content to your blog.  Writing informative articles and posting value-driven videos will not only attract visitors but also showcase your expertise in your industry.  
  
• Enlist in an SEO expert who can boost qualified website traffic and also improve your search engine rankings.  

2. High bounce rate 

A bounce rate measures the percentage of many visitors leave your website without browsing any further after that first page they land on. If people visit your homepage and click away, that’s a sign that changes are needed to keep their interest.

Here are some reasons why people are leaving your site before exploring any further:

• Your homepage should be compelling and appeal to your ideal target market.  Ensure your brand messaging matches what your visitors are expecting to see so they are drawn in and want to learn more. It’s also important to review where you are promoting your business and ensure your offerings are highly relevant for them. Be sure the call to action is clearly prominent for them to take the next step. 
• People can be very impatient. If your website is slow to load, they will leave long before they have a chance to see your offerings. Your site’s load time must be fast to capture (and hold) your visitor’s attention.
• Users can get frustrated easily if they can’t find what they’re looking for quickly. Similarly, if they encounter broken links, spelling and grammar errors and have a general bad user experience while trying to navigate your site.
• Sadly, just having a website is not enough.  It’s critical to have your website display properly on smartphones and mobile devices too.  Today, 1.2 billion people are accessing the Internet from mobile devices. Of those users, up to 80% of them browse using a smartphone.
  
  In other words, if your website is not mobile-friendly, you are missing out on a lot of potential business.

3. No conversions

You can have all the traffic in the world, but if they don’t buy, it does you no good. Fortunately, if you aren’t happy with the conversion rate, there are ways to improve your site to improve the number of visitors who convert into paying customers.

• Most visitors won’t buy after their first exposure to your website.  So it’s really important to capture those leads and follow up with them.  Offering a free giveaway is an effective way to get contact information and build your marketing list. 
• But if people aren’t signing up for your freebie, then it’s time to make some changes.  You may need a more enticing offering or improve your call to action for the sign-up.  Using a popup or exit popup can help boost sign-up rates.  Having a more attractive graphic image of your freebie can boost conversions as well. 
• The best way to follow up with these leads is through an auto-responder series that is triggered immediately after they sign up for your free giveaway. Additionally, sending out consistent newsletters to your list is also very effective at staying top of mind with them, increasing your chances greatly of them eventually converting into a paying customer.

If you’re not sure where to find these three valuable metrics, the best way to analyze them is to check your website’s Google Analytics and monitor your website’s performance there.

A sharp-looking website doesn’t mean it’s an effective one. Having a business website is meaningless if no one knows about it, visits it, or sticks around long enough to see what you have to offer.

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DISCLAIMER: This article expresses my own ideas and opinions. Any information I have shared are from sources that I believe to be reliable and accurate. I did not receive any financial compensation in writing this post, nor do I own any shares in any company I’ve mentioned. I encourage any reader to do their own diligent research first before making any investment decisions.