5 Potential Reasons Your Website Isn’t Effective

So you’ve spent the time and money to create a website and now you’re just waiting for those results that were promised….except you’re not getting them. So what went wrong? 

Truth be told, it’s tough not to think about your own likes and dislikes when creating a site. But putting your preferences first can be detrimental in the long run. The reality is that even though you may be the one paying for it, your website isn’t about you — it’s about your customers. Having the ability to think like a member of your target audience can make or break your website and the results.  

So what mistakes may you have made along the way when it comes to your website?

1. You didn’t think like a customer.

You know that saying, put yourself in someone else’s shoes? Do that here. While you may like certain colors, photos, fonts, and overall content, your customers may not. Imagine you are a customer navigating to your business’s website. What questions would you be looking for answers to first? What would you expect in terms of overall vibe? What would turn you off from the site? Jot down notes on these questions and refer back to them throughout the design process. 

“Invest in customer journey research to identify opportunities for improvement and let empathy, not profit, guide your decisions. Put the customer first and profit will follow.”

 Mary Ann O’Brien, OBI Creative

2. You overlooked offering solutions to your target audience’s problems.

Instead of focusing solely on touting your business and its accomplishments, make sure you are putting problem-solving at the forefront. Your customers are coming to your site because they are looking for information or a solution. Don’t make them dig for it. Instead, think about how you can quickly funnel them that information. 

3. You didn’t come across as personable.

In most cases, potential clients/customers like it when a site offers more than just dry information. They like to see a little bit of the people behind the product or company. This not only makes you stand out from the crowd, but it builds credibility and makes your audience more likely to come away from your site with a feeling of trust and comfortability. 

“Your prospective clients want to know who they will be working with. Get creative when you present employee bios. Tell a story. Link out to a Spotify playlist. List your favorite movie. Break out of the typical headshot for an image with more personality. Show the world what makes you unique.”  

– Brad FlowersBullhorn

4. Your user experience sucks (to put it bluntly).

Think about it. Have you ever navigated to a site, only to be completely overwhelmed and confused, or found yourself waiting and waiting for it to load? You likely ended up leaving that site because of the lack of a good user experience. Aspects like speed and clarity of content matter greatly, especially in today’s world where people are used to getting information quickly and easily. Go through your site and spend some time thinking about what would simplify the process for your customers, then implement that.

5. Your design isn’t responsive.

This is a HUGE deal and could be killing your business. Responsive Design is vital in the age of cell phones and tablets. If a site doesn’t adjust to the screen size of various devices, you are probably losing customers. Today, more than 50 percent of all website traffic comes from mobile devices. Your site should be designed with that in mind. If it’s not, it’s time to update it.

See how the layout of the content on each of these devices changes to give the user a simpler, more appealing experience? That is responsive design!

Of course, these are just a few of the reasons that your site may not be garnering the results you’d hoped for. If you want to get more out of your site, it’s time to take a step back and really examine it, or maybe even invest in a website audit.

Interested in learning more about this topic? Check out this great session from Tracy Apps at WordCamp Chicago.

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Beth Leipholtz

Beth Leipholtz

I have a passion for design and creating meaningful content while also embracing creativity. In my spare time, I am all about CrossFit, dogs, writing, nature, photography and reading.

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