Your website should be one of your hardest-working sales tools. For most businesses, your website will be the first impression a potential customer has of you. In some cases, it can be the difference between someone picking up the phone and ringing you, or moving on to a competitor.
It’s easy to assume your website works just because you’ve got one, but just because it looks nice, doesn’t mean it will effectively convert enquiries, sales or leads.
A badly-designed website can actually be costing you conversions every single day.
1. Your Website Loads Too Slowly
If your website pages take several seconds to load on mobile, you’re gonna lose visitors, as in today’s world, fast internet is something we’ve all gotten used to. Customers expect your website to load instantly, particularly on mobile devices.
Slow page speeds don’t just make your website harder to use, but it can impact your search engine rankings too. Which means customers are less likely to find you when searching online.
Page speed can be improved through image optimisation, better hosting, and streamlined website development. It’ll make your site easier to use, rank better on Google and could dramatically increase conversions.
2. It’s Hard to Use on Mobile
Mobile internet users have now overtaken desktop internet users. If your website isn’t optimised to look and perform its best on mobile devices, you’re creating obstacles between you and your potential customers.
Things like text that’s too small to read, buttons that are too small to click, pages that take too long to load and confusing menus all contribute to a poor user experience.
3. Visitors Don't Know What You Do
One of the biggest mistakes we see is websites trying to say too much without actually saying anything.
When someone lands on your homepage, they should understand within a few seconds:
- What you do
- Who you help
- Why they should choose you
- What they should do next
If your website doesn’t explain who you help and what you do using clear language, visitors usually won’t stick around long enough to find out. Speak directly to your ideal customer using headlines, concise website copy and clear calls to action.
4. There’s No Obvious Call To Action
Ever been into a shop where nobody greets you, there aren’t any signs and nobody helps you with where to go? That’s how disorientated web visitors feel when they don’t know what they should be doing next.
Whether you want visitors to request a quote, book a consultation, call your business or fill out an enquiry form, you should make it as easy for them as possible.
Your calls to action should be visually obvious and naturally placed throughout the page and shouldn’t just be at the bottom of your page in small lettering that blends into the background.
5. Your Website Looks Outdated
First impressions matter, and people make judgements quickly when they’re looking at your website. An old, dated design can create the perception that your business has closed, isn’t trustworthy or simply doesn’t know what they’re doing.
That’s not to say you need cartoon animations or videos everywhere, as simple websites almost always outperform ones that are overly complicated.
You website should feel professional, easy to use and reflect your brand. Use high-quality images, easy-to-read typography and well-thought-out layouts. You want customers to feel confident before they’ve even contacted you.
6. You’re Driving Traffic But No Leads
Lots of business owners track how many people visit their website, but traffic is meaningless if it’s not equalling conversions.
If your website is getting plenty of visitors but they aren’t becoming customers, then you need to look at what’s happening during their user journey.
Some common problems include:
- Confusing navigation
- Unclear messaging
- Difficult page layouts
- Slow page speeds
- Not enough trust signals
- Lengthy enquiry forms
Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) is the practice of increasing conversions by enhancing the user experience on your website. Small changes can often lead to a huge improvement in leads without you having to invest any more money in traffic.
7. SEO wasn’t considered when building your website
It doesn't matter how pretty your website is, if people can’t find it, it’s not going to generate any leads.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) should be considered from the very beginning, not added as an afterthought.
SEO-friendly websites have:
- Fast page speeds
- Mobile-friendly designs
- Well-structured pages
- Optimised headings
- Good use of internal linking
- Quality content
Search Engine Optimisation is vital for your website to rank on Google. The better it’s optimised, the more likely you are to attract highly-targeted visitors that are searching for your services.
Conclusion
Some businesses only need a few tweaks to improve their conversions, while others might benefit from a redesign to enhance the user experience and better support their business moving forwards.
At Hagerty Digital, we build beautiful, bespoke websites that are built with purpose. Fast, mobile friendly, SEO optimised, and built to convert more enquiries.
Our websites are designed to support your wider digital marketing strategy and help you achieve your business goals.
