The 7 Stumbling Blocks of Poor Website Performance

Creating a website for your organisation is not cheap and often an investment you hope will yield results.

Like all assets, they are only of worth if they perform, meaning you actually get queries generated from your website.

I don’t know about you but if I paid big bucks for a website and got no results,  it would be like having a new BMW but with no wheels – pretty useless wouldn’t you agree?

If you are not getting any results, perhaps there are a few stumbling blocks you need to remove in order to get the desired result…

WEBSITE PERFORMANCE TRACKING

Would you hire a salesman, stick him in an office and not check on his results? Yeah right! You need results. Well, it’s the same with a website, you need to have certain goals and targets and then check up on them often. “How many website visitors” is not the only or best measurement.  Many people go window shopping but don’t buy. Just because your website looks good doesn’t mean its performing well.

NO CALL TO ACTION

This is a common one. Imagine walking into a store trying to find the specials, but there are no big flashy signs to point them out. If you have a great product or service ensure you make it easy for your visitors to take the next step on your website. For example “Contact Us Today” or “Give Us A Call” or “Get A Free Quote”… you get the picture. Tell your website visitors what to do next – don’t assume they will. It helps promote action.

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (KEYWORD STUFFING)

There is an old saying that says “too many cooks spoil the broth.”  Keywords and descriptions help the google bot sort your website in the right category so people can find you. If it is not simple or clear for google, then it throws your website in the miscellaneous pile.  In other words,  you’re lucky if you appear on the first 10 pages of the search results. Stuffing a whole bunch of keywords on each page doesn’t help. Keywords need to exactly match pictures, links, headings and content to get indexed correctly, in order for you to get found on the web.

LAYOUT AND VISUALS

Have you ever bought a new product and then struggled to find out how it works because of poor instructions? Your website needs to be easy to navigate and designed in a way that guides the visitor from the “solution you are offering” to picking up the phone or emailing you for help. Good pictures, concepts and easy navigation go a long way to generating more website queries. Dumping a whole bunch of text on a page, just won’t cut it!

CONTACT DETAILS

This one seems a little silly really, but I have been on many websites where it is hard to find their contact details and no alternate contact methods. The basics are telephone, email, contact person and address. I would recommend adding a contact form as well.
It helps guide and categorise the queries submitted from your website. Other instant contact options could be Live-Chat or Skype.

STATIC WEBSITES

The term “frozen in time” comes to mind,  just like a woolly mammoth – only discovered centuries later. Well maybe not that drastic, but the point is Google pushes the best content first. So if your website is not update-able or offers a strong reason for returning often – like a valuable resource, the chances of it being found is slim to none. Perhaps it is time to defrost and step into the future.

OLD SCHOOL AND TACKY

There is a reason why industries and services have changed over time. Better technology and ways to accomplish things were discovered and have been implemented. Although looks are not the only factor in getting a website to perform, it certainly helps. Modern websites that are well-designed use current technologies are visually appealing and easy to navigate. You would not want people to ignore your website because it is old, clip-arty, tacky and unprofessional. On the web first impressions last.