1. Slow page load
This is probably the most common reason why visitors leave quickly. These days, most people don't have the patience or time to wait, especially on the web, where a fast page load is one of the most basic requirements.
If your site is slow to load, it is likely that a significant proportion of users will quit within moments and may never return. Not to mention that you are also at a disadvantage from an SEO point of view.
Test the speed of your website, you can now do this on a number of platforms (e.g. Google PageSpeed Insight, Pingdom, GTmetrix). If your page doesn't load in 2-3 seconds, you should definitely fix the problem: use tools that can help you optimise your website. For example, use image optimization software, minimize CSS and JavaScript code, and remove unused plug-ins and extensions.
2. The website is not mobile-friendly
According to GWI data, 77% of the world's internet users make a purchase online every month, and more consumers do so on mobile phones and tablets than on desktops and laptops. Or look at Statista's research: in Q4 2022, the percentage of website traffic from mobile devices worldwide was 59.15%.
This means that if a site is not mobile-friendly, it will significantly degrade the user experience, reducing the number of visits and conversions made by users. And it probably goes without saying: Google also favors mobile-optimized sites.
If you don't already have a mobile-friendly site, it's time to change it now so you don't lose a significant proportion of your visitors!
What are the features of a mobile-optimized site? Among other things, responsive design, easy mobile device usability, and of course the right speed (should be as fast as on desktop, if not faster).
3. Inappropriate CTA placement, design, and message
In other words, it is not clear where you want to direct the visitor to perform the desired action. Whether it's any conversion point (purchase, subscribe, download, register, etc.), if the navigation is not clear, the visitor will not know what they should do, or which step to take next when using the site. This in turn will confuse them, and conversions will be lost.
What is a good CTA? Clear and unambiguous messaging, with a valuable offer, easy to access, well positioned, regularly tested, and optimized as necessary.
4. Design is too simple or too "much"
The challenge for the look of your website is to find the happy medium. It's easy to say... But here are a few factors to keep in mind to help you achieve your goal.
User-centered: tailor the design to the needs of your visitors, putting their needs first. A good design helps users find the information they need easily, increasing the credibility of the site and, of course, the conversion rate.
Simple: i.e. clear, uncluttered, clearly guides the visitor.
Attractive: what's attractive is what attracts interest, a clean layout. Of course, attractive in this case means what your target audience finds attractive. Once you've assessed this, you'll have a basic idea of the direction you should take in your graphic design.
Responsiveness: see point 2 of this article. Good design is responsive, meaning it automatically adapts to different screen sizes and devices.
Consistency: each design element must be consistent, whether it is fonts, colors, layout, etc...
5. The content is not relevant to your visitors
Most of the content on your website probably revolves around certain keywords, which is basically fine and can help boost organic traffic.
But: many websites aim to rank for certain keywords in search engines, and they do this by stuffing keywords into their content without them being truly relevant. In short, this is keyword spamming - an apt term, isn't it?
But this is a method that Google does not like, to put it mildly, and visitors are particularly annoyed by incomprehensible, poor-quality content, which significantly degrades the user experience.
So create relevant and valuable content, and use keywords and key phrases wisely (!). Don't try to manipulate Google with keyword spamming, as it's completely useless; it will have the opposite effect of what you expect.
