One of the most important roles a business website needs to fill is turning leads into customers. Maintaining a healthy conversation rate is key to the success of your digital marketing efforts, and that is an area where small details can make a big difference.
With that in mind, here are some of the most common conversion-killing mistakes you should avoid when building a business website.
1 – Ignoring Mobile Optimization
Think about how often you browse the internet on your phone. Like you, many of your potential customers prefer using their mobile devices to explore websites.
Mobile optimization means making sure your website loads quickly, is easy to navigate on a smaller screen, and that all features work well on touch-based devices. If your website is a chore to navigate on a mobile device, those users are much less likely to stick around and become customers.
There are different tools out there that can help you test your website across different devices to make sure elements are loading and scaling correctly. Working with professionals who offer website design in Denver is also a good way to make sure the final product is optimized, as this page shows.
2 – Information Overload
Your customer’s learning curve is an important factor to manage when building a website. If your page is too frontloaded and dense with information, visitors may end up feeling more overwhelmed than informed. The same can happen when a website presents users with too many options to choose from.
Simplify your content. Focus on the essentials that will help guide visitors toward making a decision. Use bullet points, concise paragraphs, and plenty of white space to make your website easy to scan and digest.
It also helps to break down the customer journey into steps. That allows you to give information in chunks along each step, rather than having to dump it all at once.
3 – Lack of Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)
If you don’t have a clear call-to-action, your visitors may not know what you want them to do next. Whether it’s signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or contacting you for more details, your CTA should stand out and provide clear instructions.
Use actionable language and position your CTAs where they’re easily seen. Think about color contrasts and size too; these can make your button or link much more noticeable. Remember, if your visitors have to hunt for a way to engage, you might lose their interest before they ever take action.
4 – Slow Loading Speeds
Speed is key. A slow-loading website tests the patience of your visitors. No one likes having to wait on a website, and search engines have been known to penalize websites for being too slow.
You can boost your site’s speed by optimizing image sizes, leveraging browser caching, and minimizing the use of heavy scripts and animations. Regularly test your website’s loading times from different devices and connections to ensure the load times are fast and consistent.
5 – Hidden or Confusing Navigation
It’s smart to streamline your navigation bar, reduce the number of menu items, and consider including a search function to help users find what they need quickly. Ensure your menu is easy to locate and follows a logical structure.
You don’t want to force visitors to hunt and dig through menus to find what they want. The less friction there is between a first-time visitor and the page they’re looking for, the more likely they are to engage with one of your CTAs.
