A core component of inbound marketing is the ability to convert. Whether it’s converting visitors to leads, leads to Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) or MQLs to Sales qualified leads (SQLs), the key to nurturing your leads is to get them to convert.
Now this is easier said than done, and often times, especially trying to convert visitors to leads, you’ll find that their first interaction with you is very superficial. As first-time visitors, their verdict on your business is more likely to be based on website flaws than actual content. That said, let’s take a look at these 5 common reasons people are leaving your website and its effect on your conversion rates.
1) Your design is outdated
We do judge a website within the first few seconds of clicking through. How often have you turned around because the website looked outdated, or full of spam, or looked difficult to follow? I know I end up doing it more often than I would like.
Not because the website doesn’t have good information, but because it usually looks like it’ll take a lot more work and effort for me to find the information I’m looking for. Your various font styles and sizes, as well as various background colors draw attention away from your content. Sure, it’s not nice to judge a book by its cover, but if you wouldn’t want to spend time on your own website, would others?
2) Your site is full of ads
Nobody likes clicking-through 2-3 ads before they can access their article. It’s not a treasure hunt where I get a reward, it’s a chore, and usually your readers will find it easier to just click on the back button. Now, I’m not saying you should remove all ads from your website, you should however, place them strategically and effectively around your website. Look to place them where they can be seen, but will not go out of their way to ruin your visitor’s experience.
3) Auto-play videos
Building on pop-up ads, auto-play content, specifically videos are an easy way to distract and disappoint potential readers. Today’s digital-savvy customers prefer to choose how and when they consume online content. Blasting them with videos that they did not click on is a quick way to drive potential customers from your website.
4) Your registration requirements are obtrusive
Gated content is great when it comes to your offers such as ebooks, whitepapers, and tools, but closing off the vast majority of your content with restrictive registration requirements will only lower your conversion rate. Some visitors are just that, one-and-done visits, but a lot of them can be persuaded to stay for the right reasons, and gating all your content will only serve to push those people on the fence about your service, away from you.
5) Your site is too slow
A website taking too long to load makes it easy to click away from it. It’s true wireless internet has spoiled us. Take a look at some statistics from KISSmetrics:
- 47% of consumers expect a webpage to load in 2 seconds or less
- 40% abandon a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load
- Even a one-second delay decreases customer satisfaction by about 16%
A fast website makes for happy visitors, and don’t forget to optimize for mobile while you’re at it as well. “30% of mobile shoppers abandon a transaction if the experience is not optimized for mobile.” – Mobify
Of course, conversions are only part of the many components of inbound marketing. Take a look at our ebook below, and get the inside scoop on the 6 Core Components of Inbound Marketing.
*Image courtesy of Fabio Lanari via Wikimedia
