My website is failing, what do I do?

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The underperformance of any website is a hard fact to swallow. The results and expectations have nosedived and ultimately could mean a complete business failure. To support the success of your company, it is useful to understand what went wrong.

Were business goals set?

First, determine if your company set out with correct marketing objectives. If there were no objectives to begin with, this could be a good starting point to dig a little deeper. A reputable web design agency will examine with you what goals should be set to serve as a foundation to creating a website strategy. Identifying critical components eliminates the possibility of redesigns or fixes.

Defining website content

With unlimited potential, your website is the most important sales tool. According to Gartnet Research they predict by 2020 customers will manage 85% of their relationship without talking to a human. Content sells your business or product and should create an engaging process that allows your customers to interact with the information they wish to find. Content should be memorable, clear, and outstanding – providing a gateway of information that factors in knowledge and strategic ‘usefulness’. Ensure that communication is not one way, innovation can lead to use of blogs and social media. Interact with your target audience and give purpose to your website. Most importantly, frequently update your content in order for it not to look stale.

Difficulty finding information

According to HubSpot, 75% of users identified that finding information was an important website factor. Poor user experience only causes confusion when specific details cannot be found. Page layouts should not be an obstacle for your customer and unnecessary complexity such as over use of images and poor menu architecture will only ensure one thing – your customer moves onto another website. Accessibility is the key, so ensure that design is simple, call-to-actions are clear, and pages load quickly. Think A to B, not A to D, perhaps C then back to A. Even the most imaginative websites should consider that creative design may not necessarily make it easy for the user to find what they need.

Failure on lead generation

Waiting for your website to generate leads might take a few more steps further. It is useful to first take a snapshot of your website analytics by examining what kind of interactivity the website to date has been receiving. This information can help with areas that have been successful and other areas that require improvement. Take, for example, bounce rates used in web traffic analysis; they help us measure page effectiveness of visitors entering and leaving (bounce). Other useful measurements include top keywords, unique visitors, click-through rates, page speed, landing pages, and popular devices.

Other causes for poor lead generation may be related to certain unnecessary road blocks. You have the attention of your user, but what next? Are call to actions (CTA) present? CTAs typically are large buttons that relate to the page content, they serve as the next step to a successful conversion. Such examples may include free quotes, eBooks, or just scheduling a call. In anycase, there must be a clear and concise reason why your potential customer wants to release their information.

What next?

Every website failure will be a common case of mistakes that could have been avoided. Considering such examples and planning, a company will achieve better understanding leading to an improved presence in the digital marketplace.