We all know that a slow website can put visitors off. In fact, research shows that around half of web users tend to abandon a site that doesn’t load within 3 seconds or less. But if you’re happy with loading speeds and you’ve noticed that your website’s bounce rate is higher than it should be, could there be something else going on?
It could be worth checking that your site isn’t doing one of these annoying things that web visitors absolutely hate:
‘Helpful’ pop-ups
Pop-ups offering special discounts or menus that ‘helpfully’ whizz out if you move your mouse anywhere near them may seem like a good idea. Some may even be offering genuine value to the visitor. However, all they tend to do is to cause a visual obstruction, to get in the way of what the user is actually trying to do or look at.
Infinite scrolling
Infinite scrolling, where product lists and content go on and on, has its good and bad points. On the one hand, they eliminate the need to navigate to another page. However, they also make footer content impossible to reach. The page constantly loads new content as you scroll down, so those looking for delivery information, social sharing buttons and ‘about us’ information can never quite get there. Brands wishing to use infinite scrolling can fix this by moving footer content to somewhere easier to find, such as under a top header or hamburger menu.
Splash pages
Forbes.com may still use splash pages, which offer a kind of front page or gateway into the website, but hardly any other brands do it. The reason why not is simple. Why on earth would you make a visitor click an extra time, to jump through an additional and unnecessary hoop to access the information they are looking for? If you do want to use a landing page, ensure that it offers value or directs the visitor straight to the content they want.
Videos in place of text
This is another contentious one, as some people would argue that videos on websites are an effective and immediate way to engage visitors. However, if a video is used in place of text that actually delivers important information or explains what your offer is, it runs the risk of putting some visitors off. Not everyone wants to watch a video, and many (such as those at work or on public transport, to name a couple of examples) would much prefer to access information in text form.
Another video-related bugbear for web visitors is slow loading, as well as videos eating up their data when accessing the site on a mobile device. If done properly and used alongside engaging text content though, videos can be a winner. Get it wrong though, and you could be turning visitors away in their droves.
For advice from web design experts on everything from fixing bugs to speeding up loading times, as well as how to create a beautiful and beautifully functional site, please don’t hesitate to contact the team at Ambos Digital.
