01 Aug Are Visitors Leaving your Website?

The World Wide Web offers an often overwhelming amount of information. Sometimes, it is simply too much and we need to remember to slow down and let our audience stop and smell the roses, as it were. The focus of any well-presented website is to make a message heard, and for the readers to interact with the material. Gaining traffic through SEO practices is one thing, as anyone can ‘buy’ traffic, but if the visitors don’t stick around long enough to experience it, then that’s a wasted opportunity that needs fixing.
Here are the top 5 reasons people won’t stay on your website. After all, knowing is half the battle.
Slow Load Times
This one is a more technical reason, but if a page is overloaded with widgets and gadgets and pop up windows, the load time for even the beefiest of hard drives is going to slow considerably. Your audience has a great many options when looking for what you are promising thanks to optimized search engine results, so if they can’t engage with your message right then and there, why should they waste time? If you feel your website is loading slowly, consider hiring someone to analyze it for efficiency.
Poor Grammar
More than any other factor, poor grammar will turn off a reader faster than you can imagine. Poor grammar indicates a website’s professionalism. If the sentence structure is unruly, and the punctuation is confusing, what does this say about your product or service? When posting information, such as About Us pages or updated information blurbs, make sure your grammar sends the message you need. You are a worthy source for your audience, and your message should be clear and concise.
Large Word Blocks
The human eye can become tired and disoriented if presented with a solid block of text. These days, we are trained to absorb information in short 3-5 sentence blocks, with natural space in between to give our eyes a rest. Presenting a reader with a 20+ sentence block of information is going to turn them away to another source that is much more considerate in how they present information. When posting information, do so in short, logical blocks designed to deliver your message fast (e.g. bullet points are fabulous!).
Overly Complicated Messages
In these cases, the message may be very clear to you, but the audience may be left in the dark. Highly specialized and technical language is acceptable in professional niche groups, but if the focus is on creating a new audience, how will they know what you mean? Write the message in well-chosen, plain words that invite readers to learn more.
Deceptive Content
Here is where many pages fail when it comes to reader retention. If an audience is streaming through a clickable ad campaign, or through search engine results, they won’t stay long to engage with your site if the advertising is false. When writing your site description and advertising, be honest with your potential visitors and be sure to deliver what you promise right off the bat.
It’s never too late to correct mistakes from the past, and it’s simple to move forward with these SEO tips. By getting in the habit of presenting professional, reliable, and well-organized material, you will surely see an increase in audience engagement and ultimately conversions.