Do you find that you're getting plenty of traffic, but that people are leaving your website soon after they arrive? Here are a few reasons why that could be happening, and how to remedy the situation:
You're not relevant
Search engines can bring thousands of people to your site. However, are these visitors finding what they're looking for when they arrive?
Check your analytics (if you have it set up). What keywords are people using to arrive on your web pages? Are some of them unrelated to the content?
For example, if you're a web development company, are people arriving at your "about us" page after searching for "software development" - then leaving when they realise it's not what they need?
TIP: Ensure that all of your web pages have page titles and meta descriptions that are unique and hyper-relevant to the content below. This will help match the right content to the right searcher.
You're too cluttered
Simplicity is genius, as the saying goes.
If users arrive at your site to see a mass of options, text, buttons - and whatever else - they're liable to retreat with information overload.
TIP: Go through each page and write down what the most important point/call to action is - then strip out all unnecessary details.
You're s-l-o-w
We've discussed the benefits of fast-loading websites before on the blog. Basically - there's mounting evidence that the slower your site the less likely your users are to stick around (or ever come back, for that matter.)
Plus, slow loading does your Google ranking no favours at all.
TIP: Read our how to speed up your site blog post for ideas on improving your site speed.
You don't make it easy for the user
Sure, you might like your unique navigation that stacks like a deck of cards, but does your user? While people do respond to things that are imaginative and playful, if you're making it harder for people to use your site then they're not going to stick around for long. (This is especially true if you're an ecommerce site.)
TIP: Try usability testing to discover what people are struggling with, or opt for clean, clear navigation.