Many website owners look at their website analytics and see that website traffic is steady, but it isn’t translating into customer conversions. Are you in this boat? There are a variety of reasons why website visitors bounce from a website, and most can be fixed without too much effort. Here are some of the most common reasons:

1. Users have trouble reading your content. 

This can happen for a variety of reasons. It may be that the font is too fancy, too small, or blends in too much with a background color. Generally, your website font size should be no smaller than 14 pixels for paragraph text (22 pixels minimum for headings) and font styles should be sans serif or a serif free of embellishments. There should be a high contrast between the text color and the background, with the text color being darker and the background lighter. Also, it is helpful to include ample white space. Test your chosen font out in mobile views as well to be sure it is easily readable on all devices.

2. You have videos that auto-play on your website.

 Many of us have had the misfortune of landing on a website and having a video begin playing that we have to locate and shut off. This is especially annoying when you are at work, near a sleeping family member, or in any other venue that necessitates quiet. This is also a very fast way to have a visitor hit the back button and bounce from your website. By giving users the option to play or not play your video, you put them in control and allow them to consume the website content the way they would like to.

3. You have overly-pushy pop ups or excessive ads. 

Avoid having your website look like the Vegas strip. Multiple pop-up newsletter signups or “Find out how I earned 8 million leads in 3 minutes…” lead boxes are bothersome and keep would-be customers from finding the content they are searching for. Additionally, research shows that excessive ads on a website can make it seem untrustworthy and desperate. These are descriptors that you don’t want associated with your website. It is okay to have a newsletter signup and some advertising on your site, but it should be balanced with valuable content.

4. Your navigation is not navigating users to the information they are looking for. 

Generally speaking, website visitors should be able to find what they need on your website within a couple of clicks. If they have to sift through pages and pages of content, you will likely lose the opportunity to earn their business. Before populating your website, create a site map that clearly maps out all of your important products and services within the main navigation. Also, include relevant links on your inner pages so that would-be customers can easily click through to related products and services.

5. Your website is lacking a call-to-action or has too many. 

While these are opposite issues, they end with the same result—a high bounce rate. It’s perfectly appropriate (and necessary) to include a clear call-to-action for your visitors, but don’t bombard them with several or they will be confused as to which CTA to pursue. If you have a couple of CTAs that you would like to make available, consider creating a marketing funnel for higher conversions. For example, a visitor may be prompted to sign up for the newsletter. Once they have done that, they may be taken to a confirmation page with a special offer for a free product/service trial or a free piece of content like a white paper. As they sign on to each of these CTAs, they come closer to the ultimate goal—the sale. This process will be different for each company based on your goals and the steps you want your visitors to take.

6. Your website’s design is outdated or unappealing. 

If you are going out to a restaurant for a nice dinner, would you prefer to go to the trendy new eatery with a modern appearance, good lighting, and a clean exterior, or would you rather go to the old run-down diner with the damaged sign, deteriorating exterior, and dirty windows? Fair or not, appearances matter. Having an up-to-date, attractive website gives your company more credibility and makes potential customers feel more confident to do business with you.

7. Your website isn’t mobile friendly. 

Study after study shows that mobile device users, who now outnumber desktop users in searches, are far less likely to patronize a website that isn’t responsive. This fact is echoed by Google and other search engines who have now begun to give preference to mobile-friendly websites in an effort to improve the quality of search for their users. Don’t be left behind by competitors who have upgraded their sites to a responsive website design.

These are just some of the most common ways that your website can repel visitors. If you need help analyzing your current website and finding weak spots and common exit pages, get in touch with us. We can help you improve your current website or design a new, responsive website for improved traffic, conversion rates, and search engine optimization.