Under-Performing Websites: The Factors

In Singapore, the words “good returns” , “marketing tool” and “corporate website” are seldom used together in the same sentence. Tell a business owner that a website is an investment, and he’ll be quick to retort that something only qualifies as an investment when it has a potential to generate returns. Most of the time, this cynical skeptical view holds true. Well, the first step to solving a problem is recognizing one. This week, we identify some of the main problems plaguing corporate websites in Singapore.

Poor Homepage Design

The homepage is usually the single most important page on your website. Inbound links from external sites, marketing material (i.e your business cards) usually link to this page.  For many businesses who market themselves on the Internet, the homepage creates the first impression of their business to new visitors.  If you are unable to capture a new visitor’s attention with your homepage it is unlikely that they will navigate to the other pages in your website.

Flash Intro

Do you want your customers to visit your site again and again? Of course you do! Repeat visitors contribute to more than 70% of online sales. Start building relationships with your visitors by not tormenting them with a Flash introduction.

Inconsistent Maintenance

Frequent maintenance and updates is seen by visitors as a sign of commitment and continuity.  If your last update was in 1996, visitors may not know if you are still in business.  Instead of calling to find out, they may just skip over to a competitor’s website.

Information Overload

Some website have too many things on site. Mostly it’s multimedia, too many glittering ads, animated banners, videos all vying for the visitor’s attention at the same time. Oh, and while we’re talking about multimedia, remember to do away with any cheesy music on your website.

No Clear Message

I’ve seen a site where an accountant offers her professional services, introduces health supplements and offers to walk your dog.  Don’t confuse your visitors!  Your website should have a core message that is instantly understood by visitors within seconds.

Not Informative

On the other hand, there are sites that have too little content to be helpful to a potential customer.  A common mistake is to list products by their model numbers with an accompanying image and no description.  Unless you’re selling to your peers in the same industry, visitors have no idea what the TYH-928273X Deluxe Model is capable of.

Too Technical

On the same note, make sure the copy on your website is not full of jargon or too technical, or you will be turning away visitors who do not have much understanding about such terms.

No Call to Action

This is the online equivalent of going to a sales meeting, describing your services for an hour and then leaving without attempting to follow up or close a sale.  A whole study has been devoted create landing pages that entice visitors to perform desired actions, be it picking up the phone and calling you, registering for your newsletter or making a purchase with your website’s online cart.

No Contact Information

I’ve been to sites that have no phone numbers or emails listed. You can only get in touch with the site owners through a one-way contact form. These sites create the impression that they are fly-by-night businesses.

No Human Voice

People like to work and interact with other people, not faceless corporations.  Add in a human tone in your articles and content.  It’s the age of social networking, so stop worrying that doing so “is too informal”.

Loading Time

Internet speeds today are very, very fast making all of us very, very impatient.  Optimize your image and other multimedia sizes.

Cheesy Music

Oh, did I mention No Cheesy Music?

Content Formatting and General Website Design

Poor background and font contrast, too many font colors, use of pop-ups, use of frames etc.  Here we are more concerned about the user experience when they browse a particular website.

Poor Navigation

Make it easy for your visitors to find the information they need.  It is frustrating to search for a page that you were just surfing minutes ago but just can’t seem to find again.  This happens often when you have a large website with lots of content.  Have your friends, colleagues perform a usability test and see how well your navigation system holds up. Add a search bar if needed.

Broken Links and Graphics

Internet Explorer browsers point some of these out with a box and a red “X” in it, this affects the user experience on your website very negatively.

Poor Browser compatibility

With so many browsers it takes more time optimizing your website for compatibility.  Start with Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari, since these are the most popular browsers.

Too Much Advertising

Too many contextual ads in the content leads to a poor user experience.  Having Adsense on your corporate site may project a negative impression on any potential clients.

So, there.  If your website is not performing the way you planned, look through the list and see if these are any contributing factors.  For an in-depth analysis and report on the performance of your website, you may also want to consider our web analytics solutions Your website is a potential goldmine, make it churn out some returns!