If you have had a website for a while it can be difficult to get fresh eyes on it and find out where your users may be getting frustrated. These frustrations that cause users to leave before completing a conversion are known as pain points and should be addressed sooner rather than later.
The internet is a different beast from the early dot com days. Where once all you needed was a contact number and an email address now users expect fast loading speeds, websites that fit a variety of screen sizes, and a tailor-made user experience. We’re going to look at a few pain points you may have to help you get a fresh perspective on how visitors use your website.
Compatibility
As stated above web users visit your site from different devices and search engines. For every Google, there’s Firefox, Safari or (yes some people use it) Internet Explorer. Add to this the thousands of mobile phones on the market, tablets, laptops, and PCs and you may find your website isn’t as versatile as you think.
Programs like BrowserStack allow you to test your URL to see if it works on new and older versions of specific browsers while free sites like Screenfly allow you to test your site on different mobile device screens. If your website is quite old then chances are it won’t be responsive and you may be losing customers to websites that fit better on mobile screens. You should audit your website and get an experienced development team to test your site’s speed, security and compatibility. These features could be the reason you keep losing traffic.
Tired Design
Websites, like everything else, go through different fads. Where it once was popular to have intricate websites or flash animation, it is now popular to have clean designs and a functional layout informed by user experience. Your website doesn’t have to have bells and whistles either. Instead, you should look at your site, maybe even ask for some expert advice, and see where your design can be reworked for aesthetics as well as user experience. Your website should also look to reflect your values and communicate your brand from colour choices to tone of voice.
Unoptimised Sites
Search engine changes like Google’s algorithm go through regular updates as the tech giant tries to improve its capabilities. This means that what was good for SEO in 2010 may not be good for SEO in 2020. SEO is integral to your site’s visibility and performance. If you haven’t got an internal team, consider going to an award-winning digital agency that can help you find out where your website may be going wrong. From optimising images for accessibility to technical fixes, suggested target keywords, and more, there are countless SEO improvements an older website can make to reach a wider audience.
Ask the Public
One of the most traditional ways to see where your website is failing is to ask someone to use it. Don’t be afraid to ask your clients or staff to review the site and see where they would like to see changes. You may find this exercise even strengthens your relationship as their concerns are addressed and your website improved in one swift movement. You can also use customer surveys or focus groups to drill down and find out what visitors to your site are looking for.
If you’d like to find out more about how we can help you find your website’s pain points with a website audit then contact us today. Our multi-disciplined team of expert digital, design and development experts are on hand to update your site and make conversion pain-free.