When planning and creating a website the goal is to keep visitors on your site longer enough to make a purchase or contact your business. To prevent high bounce rates and generate more leads, here are items of your website that potential new clients are drawn too:
- Clear, Non-confusing Navigation
You don’t want visitors to search too hard to find what they need. Label your navigation to each page intuitively. “About” should lead to info about the company. “Shop” should lead to an online store. There is limited space, so if the name is long, see if you can shorten it or put under a sub menu. For example, “Brand Name Manufactured Gears” can become a drop-down element of “Products”. On mobile default to hamburger menu, so clients only have to press one button.
2. Different Options to Contact You
Have different ways for visitors to contact you. Include buttons to contact forms/pages, clickable email icons to your company email, phone numbers at the top and footer and a Google map available on a contact page or bottom of the home page. Social media links are also popular for ongoing client interaction. The easier it is the contact you the more likely they will become a customer.
3. Social Proof
Testimonials, reviews, and featured articles generate trust in your business. Clients usually like to make sure the claims a company is making aligns with what they are selling accurately therefore will look for reviews before spending their money. If you are a new business, create an email campaign or social post asking for honest thoughts on your products or services.
4. Instant Explanation of What You Do
Have a tagline or a home page slider as the first graphic at the top of your website explaining what you do. Avoid fluffy vague words to describe your company. A bad example of intro text: dynamic solutions for everyone. A good example of intro text: dynamic web design for small business. Be specific and simple.
5. Ways to Stay Up with Your News
Having a newsletter sign up or subscription pop-up box, section, or form so visitors and clients can follow your blog creates long-term loyalty and EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). Also make sure social media links are easily found in the footer and attached to your blog post articles.
6. Legal Legitimacy
More items that are important in building trust is to make sure you have a privacy/cookie policy, term & conditions, and other legal indicators at the very least at the bottom of your website. If you are a commerce website, an SSL certificate is highly recommended to make sure your website is secure for customers to pay online. When updating content make sure your copyright matches the current year. The general public is more tech savvy and if your website is lacking these items they will leave your website, increasing your bounce rate.
7. Clear Pricing or Way to Discover the Price
Most customers like to price compare. Any online shop should have the price attached to the product. Services based websites such as consultants, hair salons, therapies offices, etc., should display the price near the description of what is included in each service. If your services are determined based on a variety for factors, make a clear indictor such as a “request a quote” button or “for the price call phone #”.
8. Delivery & Shipping Info
Most useful for e-commerce websites, have a return/exchange policy and delivery info easily visible. This is legal info that shouldn’t be shoved to the footer. Contain the info in an according near the product description. If you’re selling a product that does not need shipping or a service still include refund police even if it is a no refund policy along with info on how to handle dissatisfaction with the product or service.
Include these items in your website today. Call 248.528.3600