Introduction
So, as a small business owner you’ve finally acknowledged the need to be competitive in the online marketplace. Yeehah, it’s time to celebrate and you can’t wait until your new website immediately begins to pull in those vast crowds of cashed up online shoppers.
Hold the horses for a while and take some time out to read this article on why people are most likely NOT to buy from your website. It’s not like the 1989 movie Field of Dreams, where the famous quote goes ‘if you build it, he will come’. For those old enough to remember, that movie is about a guy (Kevin Costner) who builds a baseball field on his farm and then, lo and behold, a bunch of baseball players’ ghosts rock up for a game.
In the digital world of marketing your business, that simply isn’t going to happen. So you build your site… or have it built by someone else, what next? How on earth will online users searching for your service or product find you? What processes need to take place for that to happen?
Well, here’s my list of why your potential customers might not buy from your website. This includes online shops and general services providers:
Slow website load times
Nobody likes watching that preload icon spinning away while you wait for a website page to load, right? A slow loading website can be really frustrating for your potential customers, even causing them to search elsewhere for their next purchase. Here’s some tips on how to improve a slow loading website.
Difficult web navigation
A site that is difficult to navigate can make it hard for users to find what they’re looking for, causing them to leave the site without following any of your calls to action. Menus, links and call to action (CTA) buttons should be easy to see and understand.
Poor web design
A website with a less than ordinary design, look and feel will make your business look unprofessional. That’s fine if you are unprofessional and offer bottom-shelf products and services at a cheap price, however a crappy website simply won’t cut it with today’s discerning shoppers.
Take a look at our blog on what makes a great web design.
Slack security measures
That little padlock in the top left of the URL address bar means a lot. Essentially, it means that the connection between your browser and the site’s server is encrypted, adding a pretty good layer of security. If you see a URL with a broken lock at that location, chances are you may be better off avoiding it.
No clear call to action (CTA) buttons
Call to action buttons are a great way to instruct the user on what you would like them to do. For example, Call Now or View our Portfolio buttons give the user a pretty clear picture of what you would like them to do.
In my experience, I have found that several CTAs per page work well if they all have the same intent or message. Different web pages will often have differing purposes, thus requiring other calls to action.
No Google reviews or too many bad reviews
Without good customer reviews, users may be hesitant to make a purchase without any validation from other customers. Google reviews is a powerful platform for researching business services and products, it also carries a lot of weight for ranking well in search engine results pages (SERP).
Depending on the type of business you operate, other great review platforms might be Meta (formerly Facebook) and Trustpilot reviews. Where possible, it’s important to respond to each Google review as the owner, this will further establish trust and will also address any negative reviews.
Not enough contact information options
A lack of contact information can make users feel uneasy about making a purchase. It makes perfect sense, I know that I generally steer clear of sites with very limited contact options as I simply don’t trust them. Internet users also like to have different contact options such as telephone, email, chatbot or contact forms.
Not all online users fit into the same box, I highly recommend giving them several contact options as I’m confident it will make a difference to your sales figures.
No money back guarantee
A money back guarantee is a great way to make your potential customers feel less hesitant to purchase your products or services. Why? Well, I’d have to say that it inspires trust and confidence in your business and will certainly add weight to their overall decision.
No free shipping
This one is for online shops. I’m a sucker for this one, as I always check out and compare the shipping options and how that affects the total price I’ll be paying. It’s a good idea to include free shipping where possible, even a ‘free shipping over…..’ option.
Remember, people like to ‘think’ they’re getting a good deal, even if the differences are minimal or simply perceived benefits.
No live chat or chatbot
Okay, so I’m not a fan of live chats or chatbots as they are generally just an algorithm of responses to your query for most online businesses. Many live chats will still require you to submit loads of information to a bot before being transferred to a real person. It also bugs me when that helpful little face keeps popping up to offer their unsolicited support.
Having said that, I absolutely love a really good live help desk, particularly in my field of website development where backend support 24/7/365 is absolutely critical.
Poor mobile optimisation
Depending upon your industry, around 50% of internet shoppers do this via their mobile phone. Ever seen a website on mobile that looks trashy, but it looks great on a desktop? That’s a poorly optimsed site for devices.
While it’s almost impossible to get a perfect layout and experience with all types of devices and all screen sizes, it’s absolutely critical to get this one right.
Without decent mobile optimisation, users will have difficulty viewing and navigating the website on their mobile devices, most likely causing them to leave without making a purchase.
No clear return policy
This one’s important for online shops. Without a clear return policy, users might hesitate to make a purchase, particularly if they are unsure of sizing, colours styling etc.
In conclusion
You can see that there are many reasons why your potential customers would leave your site without a purchase. Most of the above issues can be alleviated by engaging a professional web design agency to build your site for you. And by professional, I don’t mean ‘cheap’. While you’ll save some dollars in the short term, your slow, poorly optimised, poorly ranking and low converting website will potentially cost you a healthy profit margin for years to come.
It’s important to invest in a quality web design agency that can create a website that meets your business needs, provides ongoing support and maintenance, and helps to grow your business.
Contact the team at Digital Marketing Hub Australia and discover how your business can grow with a powerful website and marketing strategy.
