3 THINGS YOUR WEBSITE MUST HAVE OR YOU'LL LOSE TRAFFIC!

Make sure you're not losing visitors because of these 3 things.

People frequently use search engines like Google or Bing to find companies that provide products or services that they're looking for. When it comes to promoting and marketing your business, one of your most valuable tools is your website.

Your website will, a lot of time, be the first point of exposure that a client has to your brand. 72% of millennials research their options online before stepping into a store. That's a huge number of people who are looking at your online before they even think about stepping foot in your store.It’s crucial that you do everything within your power to create the best first impression possible. You only get one chance to create a positive first impression.

Make no mistake, you’re being judged as soon as a client lands on your website. If they see outdated information, broken links, missing images or if your site doesn’t work well on their smartphone, they’re going to press that “Back” button and try the next search result and you’ll never see them again.

How do we prevent this? What can we do to help keep the potential customer from leaving your site and heading to your competitors site?

Here are some of the most important things your site needs to retain it's viewers:

Responsive Web Design

In 2016, Google reported that “more than 50 percent” of searches globally came from mobile devices. I guarantee that percentage is even larger now and will only continue to increase. That’s why it is so important that your website looks great and works correctly on mobile devices. If your site isn't mobile optimized, you’re definitely losing site visitors.

Fast Load Speeds

It’s no secret that people are impatient. We, as a society, desire instant satisfaction and our patience with things like slow websites is non-existent. Most of us, if we’re honest with ourselves, will admit that when we come to a slow loading video or website, we may wait a few seconds but if it takes longer than 5 seconds to come up we’re gone to the next thing. Fair or not, it’s the way things are. If your website takes too long to load, you’re potential customers are backing out of your page before they even had the opportunity to see what you have to offer. Your superior product or customer service is not match for your competitors speedy website.

A SSL Security Certificate

Look up at the address bar of your internet browser. You see the little closed lock symbol next to the web address? That is showing you that the website you’re on currently has an SSL certificate to ensure that there is no unauthorized third-party collecting your data or manipulating the website you’re currently visiting. Some browsers, like Google Chrome, will even show a large “Not Secure” warning when a person visits a site that doesn't have an SSL certificate. Most of these potential clients that find your website have no idea who you are as a company and you haven't had the opportunity to build trust with them directly. Not having an active SSL certificate is a big red flag and could cause them to decide against contacting you in the first place.

Want to know something else? Google judges your performance on each of the above subjects and uses that to help determine your search rank position. That means if you’re falling behind on these things, Google is punishing you with a lower position in search results. People say page 2 of a Google search is a graveyard for a reason.

The Good News

The good news is that each of the above issues are completely in your control. Before building a new website, research which web development technologies and methods work best for responsive web design. Before signing up for a web host, make sure that you compare their page speed rankings and see if they have an up time guarantee. Almost all hosts offer SSL certificates, though a lot of hosting companies have an annual fee for this.


At Viral Growth Marketing + Design we happily manage all of these issues for our clients.

If you would like more information about working with us, please complete the contact form below.

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