What Do Visitors Really Think of Your Website?
Your company website is a billboard, a brochure, a customer representative, and a sales representative all in one. It’s a marketing must-have that can help or hinder your business. As the most important tool in your marketing and sales funnel, it’s important to take stock in your site every few months rather than “setting it and forgetting it.” Developing baseline website analytics helps you determine what parts of the site are successful and where you need to make improvements. So how can you easily pinpoint where to make improvements to your site? Get into the mind of your visitors. What do they really think of your site?
It’s Identifiable.
The first thing a visitor will notice is the branding of your site. Do they recognize your logo? Does the site have a familiar feel to your storefront or social media pages? When creating or editing your website, be sure to utilize your brand colors, typeface, and symbols. Using consistent design every page may seem repetitive, but think of it as establishing brand identity and training the user how to navigate your page based on familiar headings or iconography. Users like consistency and maintaining a consistent brand message through images, colors, pages templates, and more, will help to reinforce your company’s identity and increase usability for your visitors.
It’s Voice & Message.
Are you speaking to your ideal client or customer? Site visitors will immediately recognize if you are designing and writing to them. Your website should address the reason why your target marketing is visiting your site. Are you a wedding cake designer? Brides and grooms will want to see where you are located, any previous wedding cakes, know what flavors you offer, understand pricing and delivery options, and learn how to schedule a taste-testing. Your website’s content should specifically address all of these questions in a tone that is exciting, romantic, and professional.
What are your most frequently asked questions? Make a list then run through your website to see if your content can answer them all.
It’s Mobile-Friendly.
Every website should be optimized for mobile use. Over half of all web searches are conducted on a mobile device, which means that if your website does not translate well to smaller screen sizes, you are losing customers. Google conducted a survey of web users and found that:
Two-thirds of users said they would move on to another website if they didn't find what they were looking for on a mobile site
Half of the users said that they would abandon a non-mobile-friendly website even if they liked the company.
Nearly half of the users said that they get frustrated and annoyed when a site is not mobile-friendly, and over a third said they felt they wasted their time.
Half of the users said they would likely not do business with companies with non-responsive websites
Nearly half said they would feel a company doesn't want their business if their website is not responsive.
If your site isn’t mobile responsive, you’re losing 50% of all potential customers. Your visitors will notice immediately if your site isn’t optimized for mobile use. Headlines, menus, and margins will be hard to read and/or navigate if you are only building your site for desktop screen resolutions.
It's Hard To Navigate.
The mark of a good site is easy and intuitive navigation. Is your site intuitive for your target market? Do they know where to find the information they are looking for? Are they clicking through more than 2 pages before taking action? By monitoring your website analytics, specifically the bounce rate and average time spent on your website, you will be able to answer these questions. A high bounce rate means that users are not finding the information they were searching for on your website. A low average time means that visitors are looking through your content, but it’s not appealing enough to stay and learn more about your company.
If your website is clunky to navigate, you are most likely losing visitors that would be potential clients or sales. Your homepage is essentially your virtual storefront or office lobby. Your site should welcome visitors with clear and concise verbiage about what value your business brings to them, then a call-to-action, or next steps to help them find what they are looking for.
Its Photos Are High Quality.
High-quality images that are cohesive with your brand improve perceived value to your visitors. If visitors land on a site with generic, low-quality photos that do not seem to mirror verbiage and branding, you are immediately de-valuing your business. In a day and age when mobile phones are equipped with high-quality cameras, low-quality photos can signify laziness or a lack of marketing acumen.
It's Wordy.
The days of copy-dominated websites are over. Visitors no longer have the time or the patience to read paragraphs full of information on a website. Visuals are more successful at presenting and disseminating information to your visitors, thus, use long paragraphs sparingly.
Why are websites visual-dominated versus copy-dominated? Your brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text. As visitors scroll, they can process visuals much faster. This allows for quick, efficient navigation through your site to obtain the necessary information. Also, new information is easier to remember when presented visually, rather than in text format. If you are trying to communicate effectively with your visitors consider utilizing visuals, like infographics, charts, or iconography when possible.
It's Not Social.
Linked social media profiles and automated social news feeds on your site give your business personality and credibility. Your social media profiles provide visitors with a real-time look at who your business is, how you interact with customers and clients, and read authentic reviews. This creates transparency and trust with your visitors while providing insight into your business outside of what is published on your site.
By getting into the mindset of your visitors and diving into web analytics, you will be able to find the areas that can be improved upon in order to make your website work for you so you can reach your goals. Visit your own website and click around, read copy, and put yourself in the shoes of your visitors. You can also use HubSpot’s website grader to see how your site stacks up against Google’s search algorithm.
Take an honest inventory of where changes can be made and tackle the ones that will make the most impact first. If you need any assistance or advice, feel free to reach out to our team!