Can you smell it? Pumpkin spice is in the air everywhere you turn these days; coffee, ice cream, pancakes, bread, if you can see, it likely has pumpkin added to it. Right now, the question you should be asking yourself is; “Is your website as trending and spicy as your latte?”. There is no time like the present to spice up your website and make it the next trendy thing that people can’t get enough of.
Time and time again we hear companies say that they have a website and they are not worried about enhancing it. They think just having one is good enough and that their customers will find them regardless, so they don’t need to invest in improving their website. While we do believe that the customer is always right, this is one instance where we will respectfully disagree (like with a latte, while it’s good, it is much better with the pumpkin spice added). I don’t know about you, but if I go to a website that I am not impressed with and doesn’t perform at a high level, I leave and usually don’t return. That business has lost me as a customer simply because their website wasn’t up to snuff for me.
The average user leaves a web page in 10 to 20 seconds. Having a website with a clear value proposition, call to action, and that easily shows what your business can do for the customer; can hold a user’s attention for much longer. To gain several minutes of users’ attention, you must clearly communicate your value proposition within 10 seconds of the user landing on your page (Nielson Norman Group). This is something that many businesses overlook, as they often forget that customers are in a hurry and want things right in front of them. Spell it out for them.
With the average Internet user spending 6.5 hours online every day, it is not only important to be where your potential customers are, it is pertinent to ensure you are delivering them the message that you intend to send to convert them to actual customers (Water Bear Marketing). A quality website is orderly, well-organized, easy to navigate, clear/concise, current in style and layout, functional and fast performing, branded, and motivates the visitor to do business with you. 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive (Adobe). That’s huge and proves that I am not the only person who leaves a website that I feel is unappealing; 38 of 100 people do.
Information such as hours of operation, location, and multiple ways to contact your business should be exceptionally easy to find; after all, the end goal of a person visiting your website is converting them into your customer. 51% of people think “thorough contact information” is the most important element missing from many company websites. 44% of website visitors will leave a company’s website if there’s no contact information or phone number (KoMarketing).
By now, you should have social media profiles, so buttons linked to these profiles should be present and easy to find on your company website. People want a quick solution to solve their problem or a quick answer to the question they are looking for. They want to be able to seamlessly go to one or more of your social media accounts to see what other people are saying about you and be a part of your ongoing conversation with your followers. Make it easy for them to find.
Does your website look good and function in all browsers? Businesses often have a favorite browser, as do consumers, but not everyone uses the same browser. Like people take their pumpkin spice in all different styles; your potential consumers are looking for you on browsers you may not even know exist. It is important to ensure your website looks right and functions properly across all browsers.
Mobile devices account for nearly 2 of every 3 minutes spent online (comScore). This should come as no surprise. The current trend of increasing mobile use to access the Internet, means your website needs to be properly built and designed for optimal mobile viewing. Having a website that is optimized for desktop use is not enough; more people are viewing your website, at least for the first time, via a mobile device. About 39% of people will stop engaging with a website if images won’t load or take too long to load. One of the most common things we come across when viewing our customers’ mobile websites, is that the content and images will not load, either quickly or at all. You can’t afford to lose those viewers and need to ensure your mobile website is “up to speed” (in more ways than one).
It’s time for you to get back to your latte; let us do the work for you. At Water Bear Marketing we are WebsiteDesign experts. Schedule a free consultation and we will review your website and provide you with our professional feedback. Contact Water Bear Marketing™ today to spice up your website and make it the next trendy thing that people can’t get enough of.
