The last 12 months has seen a huge rise in the amount of online traffic due to the lockdown and people being furloughed. Online shopping has become the number one pastime for most of us, from groceries to new hobbies, essential items to little treats. We have been seeking new ways to keep connected, informed, entertained, and fit during lockdown, and the internet has provided everything we need, and more…
The figure for mobile use suggests that around 70% of internet use is done on mobile devices, meaning that it’s essential for your website to be mobile-friendly. Not only that but it needs to load quickly and be easy to use.
Load speed
We live in a world of instant gratification; we don’t like waiting for anything. That’s why Amazon is so popular, order your new shoes on a Tuesday evening and they’ll be delivered the next day.
Over half of users would give up and look elsewhere if a site takes over 3 seconds to load. This is bigger in younger audiences, so if your target is under 30 your site had better load instantly. If it doesn’t, you stand to lose a large chunk of traffic and sales.
E-commerce
If your site is eCommerce, using a reliable system to handle, track and follow-up orders is imperative. Some cheaper systems can let you down if your sales increase, or they don’t give you enough flexibility. Worse still, you can’t get hold of anyone to sort out any issues and end up losing orders and sales.
Make sure you give good value for money. Look at your competitors and compare their offering. Do they offer free delivery, free returns, discounts or offers for returning customers? You need to make your business competitive and give people a reason to shop with you instead of them. It goes without saying that customer service goes a long way in customer retention. If people have a great experience they will not only come back, but they’ll tell everyone about it. Word of mouth counts for a lot, and a personal recommendation from someone can give your business a massive boost. Most people check online reviews before making a purchase, so encourage customers to leave a review by offering a discount on their next shop or some other bonus.
Google Indexing
In the last year Google has been using mobile versions of websites to index them for search so if yours isn’t optimised for mobile it will get marked down. And if people can’t find you, they can’t shop with you. Don’t lose out on all that search traffic by ignoring the statistics.
Check your website
Take a look at your website on a mobile and see how it functions. Does it look good? Is it easy to read, easy to navigate and are your contact details clearly shown? Did it load quickly? Is it clear from the homepage what you sell/do and what the next steps for a visitor are? If not, it’s time to take action. There is so much competition out there that it’s easy to get left behind, so make sure your website isn’t letting you down.
Checklist
- Fast loading
- Looks good, not cluttered
- Mobile friendly
- Easy to use
- A clear call to action
- Contact details on every page
If your website isn’t up to scratch we can help to improve it. Our team can help with all aspects of web design and development, content creation and marketing.
Get in touch by phone on 01964 542916 or email us on [email protected]