Is Your Website Costing You Business?

A website is a necessity for any business in the competitive age of digital marketing. It performs many functions, from telling new visitors about your business to nurturing a potential customer to the point of conversion. Even if you don’t have an e-commerce business, quality web design plays a big role in the revenue that rolls in at the end of the day.

When thinking about a website for your business, the goal should be growth. You need to attract more people, transform more of them into customers and see growth in your bottom line. A website is a tool, not just an accessory. While great websites generate growth for their businesses, the not so great ones can actually cause more harm than good by hurting the bottom line. How do you know where on the spectrum your business website is? You start by asking the tough questions.

Asking the Tough Questions

While many business owners recognize the value of their website, it’s surprising how few ever ask themselves questions about how their site is performing and if it could be working harder. There’s one question in particular that every business should ask, but few do.

If you’re wondering, the question we’re referring to is “can my website actually be costing me business instead of bringing it through the door?”

The answer might be a truth that you don’t want to face, but recognizing how your website might be detrimental to your bottom line is an important first step in developing a solution. Businesses today are all trying to thrive in a digital world, and a well-functioning website is a necessity in building a recognizable presence online.

This has given consumers an advantage. They know that businesses are competing for their business, and they have every right to demand more from their online interactions. They want sites that are not only easy to use, but in some way add value to their lives. It’s about quality and usability, and if yours is falling short in either, you can bet that it’s a major turn off to someone visiting your site.

So, if you think your website is doing “ok”, it’s time to get serious and ask yourself if that’s really the truth. Sometimes all you need is a little eye opener, so here’s a bit more about why your website might be costing you the success you deserve.

Why Slow and Steady Doesn’t Win This Race

You can think you have a website that has been optimized for every element of SEO and user experience. The problem here is that while your approach might be solid, if site speed is an issue then nothing else really matters.

People like speed, at least in the realm of the digital world. We’ve all become accustomed to instantaneous gratification on the internet. If you want proof, just look at the fact that once you enter a search, Google will present millions, if not billions, of results in under a second – and proudly display these numbers.

While site speed is a SEO ranking factor, it’s not the most important one, at least as a stand-alone entity. The issue is what happens when someone clicks on your listing but encounters a lag in loading speed. There is a direct relationship between load times and page abandonment.

How big of an impact does it really have? Just the two seconds between a page that takes 1 second to load and one that takes 3 raises the probability of bounce by 32%. Once you’ve reached 6 seconds, that probability increases to 106%.

If your site isn’t loading in the blink of the eye, then the customers you depend on are going to give up before really giving you a chance. Solutions like responsive web design, with a focus on speed and accessibility across all devices, is the answer to web development that performs, rather than harms your business.

When Your Approach to Web Design Is Too Simple

In all honesty, it’s possible for almost anyone to piece together a website. There are site building platforms out there that provide the templates and walk you through all the steps. At the end of it, you end up with a site that looks professional and modern. It seems like a win, especially for such a rock-bottom price.

This is a common mistake that too many new, small businesses make. Sure, your site looks good on standard desktop or laptop screen, but that doesn’t say anything about how it’s going to appear on mobile devices or tablets, plus there’s a lot more that goes into site usability than just looking nice.

Traditional websites are near impossible to use on smaller screens. They’re hard to read and navigation is nothing short of ridiculous. We’ve grown far past the point where mobile users need to feel like they’re all thumbs navigating around a website, and plenty of other businesses have already realized this – including your competitors.

If usability and responsiveness aren’t priorities in your web design, it’s pretty much a guarantee that visitors are turning away at the door. Imagine walking into a store, where nothing made sense. The signs were too small to read unless you got up close, you couldn’t find what you were looking for, and one of the employees made you wait a few seconds before you entered the next area. Would you stay around?

This is exactly what’s happening when a site is designed too simply, without careful consideration of comfort factors and responsive design.

A Web Design Company with Real Solutions

Slow, outdated websites cost you money, especially in a time where consumers are expecting a seamless, fast experience no matter what device they’re on. In fact, 8 out of 10 customers will stop engaging if the website design doesn’t work well on the device in front of them.

When you’re ready to upgrade to a web design that performs for your business, we’re the website design company that can help. Our web developers can take an old, sluggish site and transform it into a stunning representation of your business. Contact Beyond Custom Websites to learn more.