How A Bad Website Can Detract Customers From Your Business

How does having a bad website hurt your business? It’s not that hard to imagine – when people look for your company online and don’t find what they want, chances are they won’t keep searching or go to the next search result. Instead, they’ll probably just leave. Although it can be challenging to know how to return visitors would impact your bottom line, you should still direct your attention toward optimizing your site, so it is easily found by those who are looking for what you provide.

Here are five reasons why improving how others perceive you online is in everyone’s best interests:

Search Engines Have Changed Their Algorithms

To give consumers more accurate results and higher quality content, Google has updated its algorithm, called Penguin. This algorithm change targets links that certain websites earn based on content the search engine evaluators deem to be of low quality, such as frequent affiliate link building and over-blogging without providing valuable (to some) information.

Consumers Are Increasingly Doing Their Searching

Social media and other online forums are changing the way people find products or services. Those that value a good search engine result might just start a conversation with co-workers or clients to see what they recommend. However, no one wants to put in the extra time needed to track you down if other businesses can provide them with the same service at the same price point.

Small Businesses Need to Compete With Large Ones

While the days of mom-and-pop stores competing directly with major chain retailers are becoming less likely, more and more small companies are finding themselves side by side with larger competitors online. So while you may still get some return customers through word of mouth or other traditional means, being visible and easily found on popular search engines is essential.

Good Rankings Mean Higher Profits

In the past, search engine rankings were more important than converting a site to be user-friendly. However, today’s top websites use tactics that improve their bottom line by ensuring people engage with what is offered on their website and share it with others. This includes doing things like creating an easy-to-use shopping cart for customers who may not be easily persuaded to commit to buying something immediately.

If you have an e-commerce site, then offering your visitors fast, streamlined checkout options is imperative, because according to HubSpot, “consumers are twice as likely to purchase after visiting a merchant’s mobile website.”

Customers Have Limited Resources

Finally, maybe one of the biggest reasons every business needs to have a good online presence is that customers are short on time and money. They want to quickly find what they need without having to go through the hassle of digging around websites searching for it.

A poorly designed website can hurt your chances of being competitive. Traditional marketing approaches still work, but when combined with an optimized online presence, you’ll reach more potential clients, raise brand awareness, and give yourself an edge over numerous other companies vying for their attention.

Most businesses will agree that an online presence with an exceptional website is far more beneficial than not having one. If you want to keep up with the competition, continue connecting to your customers regularly, and get your business noticed by others, then improving how consumers perceive you is a necessary first step in achieving that goal.