It’s no secret — a business’s online presence can make or break its success. Your website is like the face of your brand in the virtual world, shaping visitors’ perceptions of your business and directly influencing your conversion rates. Among the many challenges companies face online, two website design mistakes stand out as culprits for driving down sales and leaving users disengaged: slow website speed and lackluster website navigation.
Website Mistake #1: Slow Website Speed
In a world where attention spans are dwindling, loading speeds can substantially affect user behavior – a website mistake you can’t afford. Studies have shown that even a few seconds delay in loading time can drastically increase bounce rates, causing potential customers to navigate away from your site to a faster-loading competitor.
How slow is too slow? A study by Google found that as the page load time goes from 1 second to 3 seconds, the probability of bounce increases by 32%.
Mobile websites face similar challenges. The same study found that as the page loading speed goes from 1 second to 10, the probability of mobile site visitors bouncing increases by 123%.
Practical Tips to Reduce Page Load Time:
- Optimize your images by compressing them without compromising quality.
- Implement lazy loading to prioritize loading visible content first.
- Focus on these steps to kickstart your journey towards improved conversion rates.
With these techniques, enhancing your website speed becomes easier. This leads to a seamless browsing experience that creates a smooth user experience and boosts overall business earnings.
Website Mistake #2: Poor Website Navigation
Picture this: You’re on a road trip and are in the middle of nowhere. You pull off into a gas station and ask the attendant for directions, only to be given unclear and roundabout ways to reach your destination. You spend more time than you like driving down backroads, leaving you frustrated and wasting your precious vacation time.
Think of your website’s navigation as a GPS for your visitors, helping them reach their destination smoothly without any detours. A user-friendly navigation system is crucial for improving the overall experience and ensuring visitors can easily find the information they need.
If you make this website mistake, you will confuse users, and they will leave your site.
7 Common Navigation Issues and How to Fix Them:
1. Hidden Navigation: Ensure your navigation is easily visible and stands out to users.
2. Vague Navigation Labels: Use descriptive labels that clearly indicate what each navigation item represents.
3. Too Many Options: Limit your main navigation options to seven or less to avoid overwhelming visitors.
4. Random Navigation Item Order: Follow a logical order for navigation items based on user expectations.
5. Confusing Drop-Down Items: Structure drop-down menus sensibly and avoid overwhelming users with excessive links.
6. Navigation/Button Confusion: Differentiate between navigation elements and call-to-action buttons to avoid confusion.
7. Mobile Unfriendliness: Optimize your website’s navigation for mobile devices to cater to a broader audience and improve user experience.
When your site has confusing navigation, users may get lost along the way, leading to frustration and the risk of them leaving your site without finding what they came for.
Fixing these common website navigation mistakes will boost user satisfaction and help them easily find what they’re looking for on your site. This, in turn, will help increase conversion rates on your website.
Fix Your Website Mistakes to Increase Conversions
Fixing these two common website mistakes can make a huge difference in your conversion rates and user engagement. When you boost your website’s speed and make navigation more accessible, you create a smoother and more enjoyable experience for your visitors.
Remember, your website is often the first impression potential customers have of your business online. Make it count by optimizing your website with Breezy Sites. Our website experts maintain your site to ensure it runs smoothly and works as hard as you do.
YOUR WEBSITE SHOULD BE AS GREAT AS YOUR BUSINESS IS
Ok, you keep hearing that your website is the front door of your business but you just don’t see it. Most of your business comes from referrals and your website is just there. This limits you at only being able to reach the people you can yourself. On top of the fact that when the people you meet see your site, it gives an impression of what it will be like working with you.
You should be confident that your site is up to date, searchable on Google and tells the story as well as you do.
The problem is that your nephew doesn’t have enough experience, you have to manage the freelancer and you don’t want to pay for an expensive site redesign.
The truth is you’re tired of having a website that breaks and is not generating business.
Maintaining your website should be easy. Now it can be. Reach out to learn more about how our team can help you today!
