7 Reasons Your Website is Leaking Leads

Did you know the average time visitors spend looking at a website is less than 8 seconds? And for many websites, it’s even as low as just 3 or 4 seconds.

That’s not a whole lot of time to capture their attention, interest, and desire to inspire visitors to take action in becoming a lead.

If you’re ready to transform your small business website from being a cost center into a client generating profit center then use the following 7 most common website mistakes as your checklist to grading your website performance.

These are the 7 most common reasons why website visitors could be aborting your site and moving on to your competitors.

Here’s a rundown of what your website visitors could be thinking and how to fix it.

Reason #7. I have no idea what you do.

This happens when your copy is not specific enough, especially when the name of the business does not instantly define what you do.

Does your tagline clearly explain what you do and whom you help?

Here are some actual examples of confusing taglines I found on my tour of websites:

X “Finding paths of opportunity”

X “Envisioning the future”

X “ We’re a new company and we like to have fun while working smartly, efficiently,

and while constantly innovating.”

X “Looking at information in new ways”

Hmmm… so would you get what any of those businesses do base on these taglines?

Reason #6. You sound like everyone else.

It’s important to keep in mind that the website visitors who are in the market to hire someone like you are most likely checking out a number of your competitors.

So, it’s not enough for you to state the obvious.

For example, if you’re a builder/remodeler it’s not enough for your website to simply tell people you do design and installation for kitchens, baths, and additions.

Why not? … Because isn’t that what all builders and remodelers offer too?

Remember, you’ve got less than 8 seconds. You want to articulate your wow factor and stand out.

RELATED ARTICLE: 5 Steps for Small Businesses to Stand Out

Reason #5. This looks like a student-created your site.

You know the saying that you never get a second chance to make a great first impression.

If your website design looks sloppy and unprofessional it projects to your visitors that your services are probably sloppy and unprofessional too. It pays to hire a skilled web designer who has the graphic design abilities you may lack.

And for business owners on a tight budget, there are lots of great templates today that can quickly transform an ugly website into a gorgeous, professional looking site.

Reason #4. It’s too hard to read your website.

Why make it difficult for visitors to read what’s on your web pages? if you don’t make it easy they will be gone quicker than you can say goodbye.

Check your site for poor readability:

• Fancy font styles that are too hard to read.
• Crazy colors — like pastel blue lettering on bright green background.
• Long chunky, verbose paragraphs.
• Messed up formatting when trying to view from mobile devices.
• Tiny font sizes that make people strain their eyes to read.

Reason #3. You’re not talking to me, personally.

When you’re trying to promote your business it’s easy to fall into the trap of making the copy all about you and how great you are. But, taking this “brochure style” approach doesn’t really grab the prospect’s attention because people just really care about themselves … hence, why people leave so many websites in 5 seconds.

Be sure your headlines, your sub-headlines and homepage copy really jump out talking about the specific problems and challenges your prospect struggles with.

So …

• If you’re a chiropractor, what're the downsides they’ve experienced having tried other chiropractors
• If you’re a caterer, what do other caterers not do as well as you and your team?
• If you’re a financial consultant for family-run businesses what is unique about your process that solves their cash flow problems faster and easier?

Take a good look at the words on your website. Are they sweeping generalities? Are you using words and catchphrases that could literally describe businesses in many other industries?

Reason #2. I didn’t get a sense of trust and credibility.

Remember, before you can win their business you must first win their trust that you truly are the go-to expert in your field.

Here are some common some common mistakes that could be hurting your trust factor:

• Lack of compelling client testimonials from real people (not just first name last initial.)
• No blog to educate readers.
• No picture and bio of you the owner.
• No Picture and bio of your team if you have one.
• No social proof.

When you have all these things people stay longer on your website and while doing so increases their trust.

Reason #1. I don’t see a reason to keep in touch.

It’s hard to expect a new visitor to become a customer after only spending 8 seconds on your website.

That’s like expecting someone to agree to marry you after just meeting you at a social for eight seconds.

This is why it’s so important to immediately grab your visitor’s attention with a relevant, irresistible free offer that they are willing and excited to give you their email address for.

TIP: signing up for your free newsletter is not a terribly effective free offer.

Instead, here is an example of a relevant, irresistible offer:

FREE DOWNLOAD:

Plug a Leaky Website – 7 Point CHECKLIST

BONUS TIP: No irresistible offer for me to make a micro-commitment.

You can learn more about this bonus tip inside this free 3-part video course here.

Question: Which of these 7 common website mistakes do you struggle with the most?

*This article was originally published here: https://paramountbusinesscoach.com/7-reasons-your-website-is-leaking-leads/