What Makes Someone Leave a Website [Infographic]
One of the main goals of running a website is to actually get people to visit. And once they visit, you want them to stick around for a while. In fact…the longer the better. That being said, you want to do everything in your power to keep people ...
One of the main goals of running a website is to actually get people to visit. And once they visit, you want them to stick around for a while. In fact…the longer the better.
That being said, you want to do everything in your power to keep people from leaving your website.
Today, I want to share with you an infographic from KISSmetrics that discusses eight separate factors that encourage people to leave a website.
1. Bad Navigation
I’ve written here before about site and blog navigation. These are absolutely crucial to get right in order to get people to go where you want them to go, and get them to see what you want them to see.
Bad navigation kills your conversions. And if people can’t find exactly where they want to go, and find it quickly, they are likely to leave your website altogether.
2. Too Many Ads
Ads can be very profitable. But show too many ads, and they are an instant turn-off causing people to flee and never come back.
3. Bad Content Structure
The infographic states that as much as 50% of sales are lost because people can’t easily find the content that they are looking for.
Organize your content in a clear and concise manner. Group relevant information together. For example, don’t make people browse around 50 different pages to find the information they need to make a decision about your offerings.
4. Obtrusive Use of Video or Audio
Video and audio that loads automatically can be really annoying. People like to choose the content that they consume. Don’t force it down their throats.
On a personal note, I find audio that starts automatically far more annoying than video. It’s probably because videos are easier to spot, and stop, on a page than audio players are :) .
5. Registration Requirement
This one is a bit of a toss-up.
There are plenty of membership-based businesses that require people to register before they can consume any content. And if people leave, then they likely weren’t your ideal client anyway.
That being said, in most cases requiring registration isn’t the right way to go.
6. Boring Content, Boring Design
Visual design plays as much of a role in people’s experience on a website as the actual content does.
According to the infographic, 40% of people don’t return to a website after having a negative experience.
I have also seen statistics that over 90% of people that cite trust issues with a website relate it back to bad design.
In other words…every detail counts.
7. Poor Legibility
Don’t get fancy with your fonts. And don’t make them too small. If people can’t read what you wrote, they won’t. And they’ll leave.
Just this morning I ran across a blog whose font was minuscule. I had to strain my eyes to read the first few sentences before I bounced.
And I have pretty good vision…
8. Lack of Frequency
True to human psychology, we always want the latest and the greatest.
Then again, times are changing so fast that older content may not even be applicable any more in some industries. When faced with the choice, most people will choose to consume the content that is more recent.
To overcome this, publish content frequently. But also update older content to refresh it.
I use a trick to get around this factor by not displaying publish dates on my blog posts. The comment sectiondoes display the dates of the comments. But then again, I’m hoping that if a visitor has gotten all the way down to the bottom of the blog post, they’ve actually ready it.
Bonus (not in the Infographic): Site Speed
People have a short attention span. And in some cases site speed can be a big barrier that makes people leave a website before giving the content a fair chance.
For that reason, improving site speed should always be a concern. Plus, it now affects search rankings too!
This aricle was orriginally posted here!