Today, having a website is essential for any business, regardless of how sales are made (online, face-to-face, or both). Did you know that bad design, poor navigation or inappropriate images can destroy customer trust? If you want to know how a bad site can hurt businesses, read this article till the end.

Why having a bad website is bad for your business?

You may think of the website as just a side element of a business, but a bad website has a significant impact on the development, sales, and image of the company. Companies with bad websites have a much higher number of incomplete entries or high bounce rates. In today’s world, users have access to a wide range of brands and can shop online quickly and without any obstacles, receive services or learn about new offers. Therefore, they leave your site very easily and check the site of your competitors.

How to do the initial evaluation of the site?

Before you decide to remove(!) the current site and design a new site, first do an internal evaluation to identify good elements and those that need modification or replacement. From the analytical side, check. First of all, pay attention to Google Analytics traffic statistics, the amount of time the audience spends on the site, the numbers for mobile devices, etc. Review data analysis tools to provide you with information about how useful or not the site is. Of course, don’t stop at this data!

In the second step, try to think like a potential customer. Check the responsiveness of the site on smartphones and desktops. That is, take the Google Mobile-Friendly test. Check page performance with the PageSpeed ​​Insights tool. Try sending an email through the contact form, going to social networks through the site, etc. Do whatever a potential buyer wants to do and judge whether or not it’s worth the wait!

What are the characteristics of a bad site and what should you avoid?

As an “online business card”, the site contains the most vital information about the company. In addition, in some businesses, the site is like a store for the entire sales process. In this case, you need to make sure that your website works smoothly. Below is a list of things you should focus on.

Bad site performance and usability

You’re probably asking yourself, what makes a bad site? The first thing that comes to mind for most users is slow performance. It is almost certain that if the site is not working well, most of the potential customers will leave it immediately. They have to wait tens of seconds for each subpage to fully open, and it takes a minute for a photo to load. No wonder! Today, when various companies are present in every industry, we are no longer faced with only one service or product provider. On the other hand, time is the most valuable asset and many people prefer to pay more but be able to order faster.

Poor navigation on the site

Bad site navigation is another important issue. Here’s a potential scenario: You’re on an online shoe store and interested in buying sneakers. You know exactly what you’re looking for, but at the bottom of the page you can only find the option for “Sneakers”. So you have to check out all the offers for completely inappropriate sneakers to know if this store even has the model you are looking for or not? Would you stay on such a site or would you prefer to go to another store that has a better segmentation of shoes?

You have to answer this question yourself. Good navigation also includes other functions such as easy-to-find contact options or information about the delivery and return policy.

Poor quality content

Taking care of the content of the site is also valuable. Bad content can cause you to lose a lot of customers because they don’t find the information they need or aren’t motivated to buy an interesting product because of inadequate descriptions. On the other hand, good content has a great impact on the position of the website. That is the same position that is displayed after entering specific terms in the search engine. In certain industries that have a small competitive space, it is easy to reach a suitable position. However, when it comes to creating SEO content in very popular fields, such as cosmetics, medicine, law, or fashion, you have to work hard to get noticed by the search engine algorithm.

Bad website design

You’re probably asking yourself, what makes a bad website? The answer is a design that is completely incompatible with the current trend. If you want your site to be really attractive and enjoyable for users, you probably need a facelift at least once every few years. Why? Because trends in internet marketing change every few seasons, and if you want a perfect website, you have to follow them. So you need graphic changes. Currently, the leading trends in web design are minimalism, geometric patterns, and personalized images.

You’re sure to find the best design style for your business, but keep in mind that it won’t stay the same over the course of a decade!

Many customers say that some websites have poor web design and are outdated. Therefore, they are not compatible with the current taste of users. This condition is just like interior design. Things we liked ten years ago are completely unattractive today. It is also terrible to have a cluttered website. So it’s worth investing in a makeover every now and then! Of course, websites have remained unchanged over the years and are still trendy and beautiful, but designing and implementing something like this is a huge feat.

incompatibility of  The site with mobile

Remember that the website should be designed to adapt to the needs of smartphones or tablets. In today’s world, more than 50% of online traffic comes from mobile devices, so it would be a big mistake to omit this segment! What is the effect of a bad site? First of all, you lose all the customers who are waiting for the bus, on the way home, or cooking dinner and want to buy something from you, order a service, or at least get to know your company. In addition, many customers who come across your ad on social networks, click on it, and see that your site is not mobile-friendly, will give up on your products. This situation is very bad because you will lose not only the potential buyer but also the money paid for advertising your site.

Bad website layout

The last thing that changes your site is a new layout. This part is related to the design itself. What should you focus on? The most important thing is to align the layout with the purpose of your business. A classic “business card website” or a simple catalog can easily be maintained in the so-called one-page structure. However, this option is not efficient even in the smallest online store with a few products. The graphic aspect of the layout is also important. If you don’t want your site to compete in the worst-looking site contest, make sure everything is consistent. Choose primary colors, fonts, and icons. Make sure all those elements are well coordinated. Are you afraid of the difficulty of work? So hire a web designer to do it

Eventually…

Bad design, just like poor usability, has a significant effect on your company’s bottom line. Now you know that a bad website hurts online sales. If you want to change something and take your business to a higher level, pay attention to the above tips.