Ways to Keep People on Your Site
It is already difficult to gain the attention of potential customers, but keeping them engaged and interested is even more important. Your website design is an important factor that can be used to prevent user frustration and maximize customer retention.
Do Not Make Navigation Difficult.
Customers become frustrated and lose interest when the navigation of a website appears complex or inconsistent. Check that your main navigation links are not be scattered or hidden in body text and fix this by creating a system that is rational, insightful, and simple to comprehend.
Keep Ads to a Minimum.
Don’t smother your visitors with ads that pop, flash, and fill up the browser, because they will only work to aggravate them. Be strategic in how many ads your browser runs, and make sure that they are not the first thing the visitor sees.
Maintain Good Content Structure.
Having bad content structure is a great way to destroy future conversion and retention rates. It has been estimated that 50% of potential sales have been lost because customers cannot locate what they want to buy. Content needs to be grouped in a comprehensible and to-the-point manner. Use bold headings and the highlight certain keywords that you know your visitors are looking for.
Do Not Use Audio and Video Obtrusively.
Content absorption should be voluntary. Let the user have the option of viewing your video or audio content, because automatically streaming a video or audio will drive your visitors away. Also, take note that a simple paragraph can express the message you want just as easily as a video can. Test out your options and find out what works best for you.
Make Registration Forms Optional.
Registration forms or pop-ups that cover up content put a barrier between you and your visitors. Offer a preview or demo before trying to persuade your visitor into conversion.
Maintain Interest in your Content and Design.
40% of visitors don’t return to a website after a negative experience. Don’t make your website useless and bland. A website can be minimalistic and useful if planned out correctly. Look at other ways to bring interactivity to your visitors with a regularly updated blog, forum, etc.
Make Reading Easy.
Bad typography, abrasive colors, and excessive typos will collaboratively affect your user experience greatly as they make your content hard to read. Avoid fonts that are too complex or difficult to read, and evade using a lot of bright, fluorescent colors on your website. Also, consider hiring a designer if your budget allows, and create a color palette or typeface to affect your conversion rate and customer retention.
Stay Consistent.
Make sure to update your content frequently. Adding fresh content will boost visitor interest to your site and give you higher SEO rankings. Blogging is a way to update visitors about news and events.
All of these major elements work collaboratively to ruin your conversion rate. Make sure to read through the list and make any needed changes in order to keep or enhance your current conversion rate.
