When websites are first conceived and launched, businesses are often fairly clear on the objectives the site has, how they want it to perform and who they’d like it to speak to. Yet it’s all too easy for business owners and marketing executives to lose sight of their goals and to adopt a warped perception when it comes to a longstanding site. It’s recommended that you review your site at least once every 12 months – so with that in mind, what can you look out for and what should you consider to learn whether your website is letting you down?
Visitor numbers are dwindling
If you find yourself logging on to see visitor numbers falling (or simply never getting off the ground), it’s a clear indicator that something’s amiss with your website. A website is your digital ‘shop window’ – so it’s no use if nobody ever sees it. Problematic visitor numbers can be down to a few issues – namely poor SEO (users aren’t finding your site when they search for relevant terms on Google), thought they can sometimes be attributed to poor experiences on your site in the past. If you don’t have analytics then this is an essential task to add to your to-do list, as setting this handy data-processing facility up on the back end of your site allows you to see who visits your site, when, and where from.
Site visits are short – and conversions are low (or non-existent)
Another issue many businesses don’t identify until they look deeper into their site data is bounce rates and poor visit times. Analytics tools allow you to see which pages users visited and how long they spent on each and overall – commonly known as a ‘session’. If sessions last just two minutes and only involve the homepage then something’s wrong – and clearly it’s unlikely you’ll have converted that visit into a sale or any tangible customer contact. Whilst falling visitor numbers can be down to poor SEO, shorter visits are almost certainly due to something off-putting on the site itself. If few users get past the homepage then it’s time to look at the design, content and navigation of your site.
Sales come through other avenues
When you sit down and analyse your revenue streams, where does your website rank? Of course, this is fine if your website isn’t an integral part of your marketing scheme, but in a world in which business in increasingly conducted online (and buyer decisions are predominantly made based on website information) your website should have a significant role to play in the continued future success of your business. With this in mind, it’s always a good idea to evaluate your online presence and any digital marketing campaigns along with your website to see how they could benefit your business more. Explore the options for a more effective online presence with experts such as ourselves who can maximise your return on investment and ensure a positive trend going forward which should have a considerable impact on your company’s success.
