Your website is the foundation of your online presence. It is the main place you will direct customers to, either though your online advertising or your social media feeds.
Of course, you want it to be engaging, concise and informative. The last thing you want is for it to irritate potential customers. Here are eight things that customers may find irritating about your site:
It is too slow. People are more impatient than ever. As a business, you have less than five seconds to make a positive impression on a potential customer—don’t make it a bad one by making them wait longer than that for your site to load. What’s more, a slow site will negatively impact your search engine optimization. Run Google page speed insights to get some tips on speeding it up.
It’s not optimized for mobile uses. More than 80 percent of browsers are searching the Internet with their phones or tablets. You have to get with the times!
Too many popups. Potential customers will get irritated if they have to click out of too many screens in order to find the information they want or need. Keep it simple, with a quick ‘opt-in’ call to action either when they arrive or when they try to close it out.
Stock photos or bland photos. Obviously, you probably do not want to hire a professional photographer for your graphics. There are plenty of places to find free photos to use for your web and social media site, but if you use too many, you run the risk of looking like an impersonal place of business. Keep them to a minimum. On your site, in particular, use photos of our staff and customers, if they’re willing. Be inviting.
Too much clutter. Given that most users are accessing your feeds through a mobile device, you have to understand that your site should be clean and easy to read. Don’t bog it down with too much copy, and make the information they want—like an address and phone number—easily accessible.
Not much ‘about it.’ Believe it or not, most first-time viewers visit your ‘About’ page. Don’t make this just an exercise in information. Be creative and personal when telling a bit of your story. This is a great way to make a good impression and make customers want to come to your business.
Bad headlines. Make sure your headlines, either on your blog or introducing features and services on your page, are snappy and engaging. Also, don’t promise something and then not deliver it. ‘Click bait’ is not a sustainable strategy.
You ought not to do auto play. Have you ever been in an office, when all of the sudden an advertisement blares out of a phone or tablet held by a suddenly scrambling, sheepish person? Don’t make your customers be that person.
What do you hate about websites? Let us know in the comments!