The landscape of digital has certainly expanded exponentially in the last few decades, with over 1+ billion websites standing in the online world. Nowadays most businesses have a website, but it’s not enough just to have a presence. What is your current website truly saying about your business?

Most business owners can become easily caught up with the circus of managing the staff, operations, logistics and fulfilment side of things. Maintaining and optimising a website can fall swiftly down the list of priorities.

However websites are often the first thing your potential customers are landing on. In fact it only takes .05 seconds for visitors to form an opinion about a website¹. What is the first impression you’re making?

• What are your customers thinking? 
• How well does it encourage customer interaction? 
• Are visitors making purchases through it? 
• Will they come back? 

 

These are questions we explore, through statistics and user behaviour studies. A website can truly be one’s ultimate differentiator, and can no longer be ignored if you want your business to make a statement.

 

A website will show your customer the state of the follow

• How in touch and up-to-date you are with the real world
• Shows the personality of your business, or a lack of
• Tells a customer how credible you are
• Shows how you stack up next to your competitors
• Speaks to your capability in meeting your customers’ needs

 

Are You And Your Service Up-To-Date?

Let’s consider these statistics first.

• 38.5% of web designers believe that outdated design is a top reason why visitors leave a website²
• According to 73% of web designers, the main reason why visitors leave a website is due to a non-responsive design³
• 48% of users say if the business side of a company is not mobile-friendly, they’ll take it as an indication that the business is simply not caring⁴

 

The takeaway

When your website looks out of date, it reflects on your operations, service and product. If you’re falling short in the first impression, It’s easy for users to assume the same for your actual business.

Websites built back in the early noughties have a restricted boxed look and cluttered design, so it’s very easy to spot. Design trends are continually shifting, but as users spend more time online, their eyes are acutely aware of what looks modern and what looks out of date and irrelevant.

 

Does Your Business Have A Personality?

Let’s consider these statistics first.

• Up to 50% of customers believe that the design of a website is crucial to the overall brand of a business⁵
• 73% of companies are investing in design to differentiate their brands⁶
• 94% of first impressions are design-related⁷
• 22% of consumers visiting a website for the first time look for eye-catching colors. But 21% of consumers will leave a site with “outlandish” colors⁸

 

The takeaway

Personalization is a must if you need to separate yourself from your competitors. If you wish to attract an engaged audience, pay attention to the importance of your good branding, custom imagery and expressing your personality through great copy. 

 

Are You Credible?

Is your business one with substance or fluff? Do you make a lot of claims? Or are your credible?

Let’s consider these statistics first.

• Website design has a 75% influence on the credibility of a website⁹
• 94% of people don’t trust outdated websites¹⁰ 
• 48% of people cited a website’s design as the number one factor in deciding the credibility of a business¹¹
• 85% of shoppers say product information and pictures are important to them when deciding which brand or retailer to buy from¹²
• Judgments on website credibility are 75% based on a website’s overall aesthetics¹³

 

The takeaway

That’s right, you could have the best content in the world, but if your website looks like it was created in the early 2000s or has broken elements, people are going to hit that back button faster than you can say “HTML.” An outdated website is like showing up to a job interview in a ratty t-shirt and jeans– it just doesn’t scream “I’m competent and professional.”

Judgments of your business credibility depend on if users feel confident in you, after seeing elements like your past work, certifications, accreditations and testimonials.

 

Is Your Service Subpar To Your Competitors?

Let’s consider these statistics first.

• When looking at a website for the first time, 38% of consumers look at a page’s layout or navigational links¹⁴
• 84.6% of web designers believe crowded web design is the most common mistake made by small businesses¹⁵
• Following a poor customer experience, up to 89% of consumers have switched to a competitor’s website¹⁶

 

The takeaway

If the layout is confusing or the navigation menu is hard to find, then visitors may leave your website immediately. They might not even give you a second chance. If there is a lot of information to take in and it looks cluttered, users will also leave immediately.

Many consumers have admitted to jumping ship and taking their business to a competitor’s website after experiencing a subpar customer experience. It’s a harsh reality, but it’s one that companies need to acknowledge and address if they want to stay afloat in the competitive sea of online commerce.

 

Are You Equipped To Meet Their Needs And Worth Their Time?

Website speed is the biggest deal breaker in recent years.

Let’s consider these statistics first.

• 38% of users will not visit your website again if it takes too much time to load¹⁷ 
• 70% of shopper say slow page speeds is the reason they change their purchasing decisions¹⁸
• Slow loading is the root cause of visitors leaving the website. 47% of users expect a website to load in 2 seconds or less¹⁹
• 69% of shoppers choose to shop on mobile devices versus 30% who prefer browsing from their desktop²⁰
• 85% of Website Visitors expect the mobile version of the website to be a bit faster²¹

 

The takeaway

In today’s world, time is of the essence and no one wants to waste it waiting for a slow-loading website. The truth is, users have very little patience when it comes to website loading time. Even a delay of a few seconds can make all the difference in whether or not they hit the “back” button and go to a competitor.

It’s not just about a poor user experience, though. Slow page speeds can actually lead to lost business as well. So, if you want to keep users coming back and seal the deal on conversions, it’s time to take website speed seriously.

 

Your Wrap Up

Exceptional user experience is crucial for making an impression that will last. Jiffi Web Help shares with us, “Optimizing a site with modern design trends, personalization and good branding is key to a successful online presence.” It’s also important to display past work, certifications, accreditations and customer feedback which builds customers trust in your brand and can make or break their decision if they are considering buying from you.

Having a website that loads quickly and efficiently will help keep customers engaged and prevent them from leaving the website due to slow loading times.

Ultimately, this takes time and experimentation but when done right, will represent your business accurately and lead to better engagement from your dream customers.

 

References

1 : Attention web designers: You have 50 milliseconds to make a good first impression! – Taylor & Francis Online
2 : Website Design Stats And Trends For Small Businesses – Good Firms
3 : Website Design Stats And Trends For Small Businesses – Good Firms
4: Mobile phone internet user penetration worldwide from 2014 to 2019 – Statista
5 : Website Redesign Checklist: 5 Trends to Consider – Top Design Firms
6: Study Finds Investments In Customer Experience Are Paying Off – Adobe
7 : Trust and mistrust of online health sites – ACM Digital Library
8 : How Your Website Can Use Colors That Increase Sales – Top Design Firms
9 : Why User Experience Matters to Marketing – WebFX
10 : Most users would not trust an outdated website- YouGov
11 : 20+ Web Design Statistics Small Business Owners Should Know – Blue Corona
12 : Think with Google Consumer Insights – Google
13 : 13 impressive statistics on user experience – Invision
14 : Top Design Firms
15 : Website Design Stats And Trends For Small Businesses – GoodFirms
16 : 25 Must-Know Customer Experience Statistics (2023) : The Benefits Of A Positive Customer Experience – Zippia
17 : 17 Website and UX Design Statistics That Make the Case for Smarter Web Design – HubSpot
18 : The Page Speed Report Stats & Trends for Marketers – Unbounce
19 : Advanced Product & Marketing Analytics – Kissmetrics
20 : Covid-19 Consumer Survey – Namogoo
21 : 13 impressive statistics on user experience – InvsionApp