Your website is losing traffic, turning people away, coughing out a little-to-no return on investment… what’s gone wrong? Were things always like this? Probably not, and you might be considering an overhaul to your web presence, which (lest we remind you) is absolutely crucial to building a successful business in today’s digitised world.
Here are 5 signs of chronic web fatigue, the pimpled posterior of the failing site. Once they’re diagnosed, we suggest moving swiftly on to a healthy rethink of what’ll draw customers your way:
1. Disparate design
If your font, structuring and graphics are all over the place, don’t blame someone for doubting your capabilities as a business. Over time, additions and edits to your website can blur the initial vision that made your site look so smart when it launched, giving a sloppy impression to new visitors.
2. Links like a carousel
Going round and round a website, clicking on links that purport to show you what you’re trying to find, induces a kind of digital dizziness that people have no time for. When the internet contains pretty much the sum of human knowledge, there’ll be an alternative out there that does the job quicker than you. Make sure you have a clear, easy to navigate site map, or POOF - a potential customer is lost.
3. Atrocious language
Spelling and grammar are the foundations of intelligent dialogue, so you’re unlikely to start a conversation with an audience if your website is scattered with typos and poor grammar. Read your copy through twice before you publish, spell-check, and research the tone of similar websites to see where you can hit the mark.
4. Distractions aplenty
Okay, so Reddit and Buzzfeed exist for a reason: namely, to quarantine the use of GIFs and flashing images to where they belong. Professional websites commit suicide when they bombard a visitor with extraneous media features that only serve to slow download times. Sound effects are slightly less troublesome, but making a ‘bleep’ just a touch too intrusive sets a bad standard to follow.
5. One trick pony
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last year, you’ll know that search engines now pay a lot of attention to the responsiveness of a website. So if your one trick pony only functions well on a desktop, it may be time to rethink your online presence. With mobile traffic driving internet usage amongst the millennials, you could be shooting yourself in the foot if your website doesn’t perform well on a smartphone or tablet.
Every dog has its day, but it’s important to realise when it’s time to send your website into retirement. If any of these signs apply to your site, we suggest going back to the drawing board. The Code Guy would be thrilled to help you design the next (glorious) phase of your online presence, to win the web back onto your side.