The approximate time for an online visitor to form an accurate opinion about a website? Roughly 50 milliseconds; that’s it! At half a tenth of a second, a potential buyer has determined if a website is worthy of their time and attention. So, first impressions matter regarding web design and overall functionality.

Yet, those two factors are just the tip of the iceberg. There are various reasons why people will “Click Outta’ Site” and never return. In this article, I discuss seven top reasons why visitors will leave your website. But before I dig deeper into this subject, I believe GoodFirms were dead-on with their statistics.

One of their recent surveys, for example, reported that a little over 71 percent of web designers think non-responsiveness was one of the top reasons people left websites. How so? When visitors click on a website, they expect to find what they’re looking for immediately, and in that process, they also expect the site to be visually appealing enough to stay.

Source: GoodFirms

Before reading more, find out if your site holds one or more of the following click-off reasons!

Top SEVEN Reasons People are Clicking Outta’ Site – Your Website, That Is:

1. Unsecured Site
2. Slow-Loading Site
3. Not-Mobile-Friendly Site
4. Poor Functionality Site
5. Hard-to-Navigate Site
6. Content-Heavy or Irrelevant Content Site
7. Fails-to-Meet-Expectations Site

1.     The Unsecured Website with a Security Problem Loses Face!

According to DataReportal, 33.1 percent of online visitors fear their personal data may be misused or compromised on certain sites. So, if your site even remotely feels like a ‘red flag’ to security-conscious users, they’ll click out quickly.

User hesitation increases drastically on sites that appear to have a security problem. For example, if your URL address doesn’t begin with “https,” the site is typically not SSL certified, and browser communications will not be encrypted. This type of issue, and other security threats where people feel trapped or locked into a site, can scare users away.

However, you should ensure your site is secure for visitors by having an SSL certification and displaying universal trust symbols and security badges that internet users recognize on the homepage. Running a secure website with reputable security providers helps enhance your site’s trustworthiness and keeps visitors online a bit longer.

2.     The Slow-Loading Site Surrenders the Sale!

Eighty-eight and a half percent of web designers believe that slow-loading pages are the main reason people click off of a site. In truth, visitors get antsy and abandon websites altogether when they don’t load within a few seconds. And this fact is especially true when people know they have other online places to search for what they want and need.

In the minds of most online visitors, slow-loading¹ sites can equate to websites that “don’t work right” or “have security problems.” Although this notion seems slightly cruel, in reality, a slow site can have a massive impact on overall business sales. And in the end, you lose as customers quickly move on to a competitor’s site to find what they need.

However, with today’s digital marketing technology, you can find the culprits of a slow-loading site, like big images, flash animation overload, and large scripts or files.

3.     Not-Mobile-Friendly Sites Show Themselves Friendless!

According to DataReportal, 92.6% of people search online using their mobile phones. This stat makes perfect sense given the times in which we live. We take our smartphones everywhere we go; we even sleep with them! So why wouldn’t we use its convenient searching features to find products and services online?

As such, it’s imperative that businesses also ensure their website is mobile-friendly by having a responsive design. If not, they run the risk of losing substantial sales opportunities.

So, show your site to be mobile-friendly by ensuring its design can display information and function properly on any digital platform. In this, your website will gain friends while generating quality leads and potential customers who are looking for what you offer in quality products and services.

And if you genuinely want to confirm whether your site is mobile-friendly, click this nifty Testing Tool from Google to find out.

Dig Deeper with a FREE Website Analysis!

4.     A Poor-Functioning Site is as Broke as the 10 Commandments!

It’s true; 42% of people have reported leaving a site because it functioned poorly and they had a poor UX (user experience). In other words, if your website doesn’t look or work right following how people search for what they need online, they’ll click off quickly, assuming your site is broken.

Thus, user experience and interface matter more than ever when keeping folks engaged on your site. For example, you must ‘give the people what they want’ online if you expect them to give you what you want!

Using a poor-functioning site is like choosing beauty over brains!

So, make your website design and page navigation simple, ‘to-the-point,’ and easy for visitors to search online and enjoy their stay. Each time users click, it should be smooth and instant, and your pages should be visually appealing, engaging, and intuitive to how people utilize the internet. Trust us; people will make snap judgments about your site within a few visual cues and interactive clicks. And if things aren’t functioning the way they should, you’ll lose visitors in seven seconds or less.

Remember, business sites can be as beautiful as exotic flower bouquets, but people will deem them ugly if they don’t function properly because they cannot access what they need. So, pretty isn’t everything in this case, but proficiency is!

5.     The Hard-to-Navigate Site Always Plays Hard to Get!

How many clicks does it take to frustrate visitors and cause them to leave a website²? You don’t have to ask Mr. Owl; it doesn’t take much!

In essence, sites should never be difficult to navigate or require visitors to click endlessly through an abyss of pages. As long as the clicks are easy and users sense they’re getting closer to what they’re looking for, they’ll click and remain engaged to get there.

In addition, website navigation should be easy for visitors to decipher with straightforward tabs that effortlessly lead people to what they need and guide them through your site’s sales funnel. Visual cues and design aesthetics with relevant content messaging and connective words make visitors feel at ease and confident about finding what they’re looking for online.

So, if you don’t want people to leave your site to search elsewhere, do the following:

• First – Understand what’s most important to your potential customers, site visitors, and targeted audience when they come to the website.
• Second – Set up your navigation so the most significant pages and information appear on the home page or within the first few clicks of the site.
• Third – Ensure your menu includes key product and/or service information on the front end of the website, where it’s highly visible for visitors to find.

6.     Irrelevant, Outdated, and Heavy Content Sites are a Turn-Off and Click-Off!

Though Google search engines use perceived authority as a leading factor in assessing websites,  people do too³.

Suppose online visitors notice that your product and service descriptions, blog content, videos, and other content marketing information consist of irrelevant and outdated information. In that case, you exponentially lose your place as an industry-leading authority.

However, keeping your site content fresh, relevant, and engaging makes your business more resourceful and appealing to those you’re targeting online.

As I’ve mentioned before, when people visit site pages riddled with words and thick paragraphs, it can be a big turn-off and click-off if they seek precise information. So, ensure your product and service pages are clean, include accurate content, have visual appeal, and get straight to the point!

Although blog articles can have much more content, they, too, require refreshing and updating. You’ll also want to break blog content into bite-sized and easy-to-read sections with bullets, tables, tagged images, and great CTAs.

7.     Users are Dog Tired of The Fails-to-Meet-Expectations Site!

Regardless of how or why online visitors land on your website, they’ll have some expectations when they get there. People visit sites because they believe they’ll find the information, entertainment, products, or services they need. So, you must rise to the occasion and meet their expectations if you don’t want them to click ‘outta’ site!’

The main ways companies fail to meet user expectations include:

• Using bait and switch tactics
• Posting misleading content information
• Exaggerating capacities or capabilities
• Omitting or limiting full details and specifics

Though it’s not always easy to develop and maintain consumer interests, businesses must keep their messaging honest and straightforward. Failure can come at a grave cost, especially when consumers are more than happy to use social media and review platforms to blatantly point out their dissatisfaction! So, use best practices to ensure your information is—

1. Compelling enough to attract the right audience, and
2. A precise representation of your online offerings.

How does your business website fair?

Find out now by getting a website analysis from BUILDINGBLOCKS or contacting us to discuss your online marketing needs further. Call 281-203-0529 or connect with us online today!

^References

1. ^{Website loading concept photo by Mike Van den Bos.}
2. ^{Woman frustrated online, photo concept by Elisa Ventur.}
3. ^{Website visitors confused and underwhelmed, photo concept by CharlesDeluvio.}

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