12 reasons why people leave your website

Loes Knetsch ©

The number of visitors who enter your website is a good indication, but not always a proof of success. When your visitor immediately click away from your page their visit is counted but actually, it’s worth nothing because they do not take any action. Do you want to know why your visitors leave your website?

12 Reasons Why People Leave Your Website

REASON # 1. POOR LAYOUT

The first impression is important. It is an experience you can never repeat again, so you want it to be good. When your website looks ugly, old-fashioned or chaotic, it can affect the opinion of your visitors. The design must be within the expectations of the visitors, so it should not only fit with the product but also fit the target group.

REASON # 2. WRITING ERRORS AND WEIRD BUILT-UP TEXTS

Your text is, together with images, the most important part of your website. When your user starts to read those texts and falls over countless writing errors or unclearly written texts, distrust turns out: is your product as qualitative as your text? I am Dutch, and I do see a lot of Google translated text. Grammatically so terribly wrong, and therefore, untrustworthy.

REASON # 3. DISTURBING BACKGROUND MUSIC

We have seen it all: you are quietly surfing and suddenly a song starts to play … You have to find out where that music comes from, especially if you use multiple tabs, after which you are looking for that rotten button to turn it off …

It is not advisable to provide background music for most sites. When music is needed, you should give the visitor the choice to visit the site with or without music.

REASON # 4. UNNECESSARY ACCOUNTS

With your email box in mind and the number of emails that are linked to accounts that you ‘once had to create to be able to do something’, visitors are not jumping to once again create an account for several reasons. Therefore try to make your website accessible without the registration requirement. At web shops, you can also offer the option to purchase as a guest, without having to create an account.

REASON # 5. NOT ADAPTED TO MOBILE DEVICES

When you walk out of your door, you can not escape it: people are everywhere busy on their mobile devices. These devices can visit the internet and therefore also your website. If your website is not mobile friendly when your visitor is trying to visit, that person will give up quickly. Moreover, there is little to no chance that he/she will visit your website via a computer at a later time…

REASON # 6. NOT UP TO DATE

When you use your website to show your projects or articles or to share news items on your blog to your visitors, make sure you update it regularly. Write as many messages or blog posts as possible and make sure your projects are up-to-date. If the latest news item dates from 5 years ago, your website will be considered ‘dead’ and the visitor’s interest will also disappear.

REASON # 7. DO NOT FIND THE DESIRED INFORMATION

Someone who searches for information on the Internet does not always have a lot of patience. When that person does not find what he/she needs on your website within a few clicks, they grab Google and probably end up at a website of one of your competitors. Ensure that the right information is in the right, easily accessible locations.

REASON # 8. BROKEN LINKS

You visit a website and see something interesting: you click on it and notice that the page you are on is empty or does not contain the correct content… It is something we all recognize. It is, therefore, a major cause of annoyance among visitors. Make sure that the links on your website are correct and up-to-date. In this way, the visitor always arrives where he/she wishes to go and finds easily the information he/she needs.

REASON # 9. YOUR WEBSITE IS SLOW

There are many companies that offer hosting packages. Many of them are cheap, but cheap is not always the ideal choice. In the world of servers, cheap usually goes hand in hand with slow speeds and limited web space. Compare the possibilities and discuss them with someone who knows what he is talking about. That way your website works at an optimal speed and you have less risk that a visitor leaves your website because it loads too slowly.

REASON # 10. LOST ON THE LANDING PAGE

Superspecial landing pages can look very nice but are usually an attack on the user-friendliness of a website. A visitor does not come to your website to look at a subscribing page, but to look for something. Therefore, avoid landing pages and bring your users directly to your website. When an intro page is required (for example because of language choice), you should opt for a simple page, in the same style as the rest of your website. Make the choices clear and give a short explanation if necessary.

REASON # 11. OVERDUE TO POPUPS

When people have to click away one popup after the other, they will leave your website as fast as the came on it. It’s very irritating when you interrupt the reading with multiple popups.

REASON #12 YOUR WEBSITE IS INSECURE

Visitors get a warning that the website is insecure and that they can better leave.

CONCLUSION

The visitor is important. As a fish in a sea of websites and digital competition, you have to compete for every visitor. Therefore, make it easy on him-her as much as possible, because at the slightest irritation a visitor leaves your website. Together we ensure that your website is user-friendly and appealing and invites visitors.

Are you looking for a website for your company or activity? Do not hesitate to contact us via the mobile phone below!