Alright, pull up your website, and let’s talk about keeping your customers on your website and decreasing your bounce rates. Yes, too many small businesses are putting their efforts into social media vs. their sites. Social media is a tool to convert users into a loyal customer base. However, how can they be loyal to you if they have nowhere to go? I am always harping on business owners having a website where their customers can always find them, learn about products or services, read reviews/social proof, and subscribe to their newsletter. Time and time again, we have seen social media go down, and users run to another platform to say XYZ platform is down. What if social media disappeared tomorrow? Could your audience find you with ease?
Here are the main things to do when keeping your customers on your website
- Easy to navigate website that takes them directly to what they are looking for.
- Create Call-To-Actions that ask for the sale
- Abandon cart emails for when they do leave the website.
- Mobile friendly with good speed per page.
- Social proof for service or products that are wanting to use.
- Internal linking to similar products or content — discussed on this post regarding SEO.
General Tips About Your Keeping Customers On Your Website
- Easy Navigation – This is the most critical aspect of making your website a designation. The menu bar at the top and footer of the website. Stop making people search for your menu and even search bar.
- Social Media links– One of the first things I do when I learn about a business is checking their website and clicking all the social media links. Mainly to see what their posting and what I want to follow. In addition to that, if people want to share your website with others, allow that to be an option.
- About Page – You’re not a ghost. Have an about page about you. It doesn’t have to be stuffy or strict guidelines. It can be quirky, fun, and showcases your personality.
Service-Based Business
- Service Page – Make sure this is front and center with all the information they need. For example, if I am going to book you after reading the package, I should book there. Don’t direct them to another page or website.
- Transparent Pricing – Stop making people jump through funnels to find out how much your services are. You can list your packages and let them decided. You will have a higher exit rate when it’s not available, or they have to search.
- Blog with comments turned on – Yes, I am back onto you need to be blogging. Not even to be an expert who speaks on panels or gets invited for interviews. Your audience needs to hear your voice. They need to know why you do certain things. They want to see your skill set. Finally, people are constantly googling. I have a youtube video on connecting Mailchimp and GoDaddy that I get views on all the time. It’s evergreen content.
- Tutorial videos – If you have a digital product that requires installation on its own, create a video that pairs with it. Or examples of how to use your tools.
Product Based Business
- How To Guides- Show them how to use your products goes a long way. Yes, this is considered evergreen content too. You think someone would know how to apply a face mask or exfoliate but not accurate. Not everyone knows how to style an LBD or OTK. You can have your how-to guides linked under the about pages.
- Reviews– Allow your customers to post reviews with photos. This helps new customers dig deeper. I spend hours on Nordstrom reading reviews and looking at photos.
Things Not To Do If You Want To Keep User On Your Site
- Annoying popups that block the content.
- Slow loading time utilize CDN and shrink image sizing.
- Content that is too drawn out.
- Desktop-only viewing. 75% of users are searching via smart phones.
One of the best things you can do is go on websites you love and ask yourself why you love them. Why are you spending so much time on FashionNova, Nike, and several other places? How can you implement those parts to your company website. Keeping customers on your website will lower your bounce rate and increase your community building at the same time.
Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash
