After mentioning how important having a website is to grow your business, we wanted to dig a little deeper and explore what are the most important features people value in a website and what triggers them to leave your website frustrated and never come back. We hope that this information can help you reduce the bounce rate for your website.

Clutch did research to find out what people value most in a website. We’ve interpreted the results into valuable advice on how to reduce bounce rate. Scroll down for some precious tips to help you build an attractive site.

1. Easy to navigate

A website is the best business asset online, but it can demotivate people to use it if they find it difficult to understand. We can say that a website’s navigation acts as a roadmap for the visitor. Please think of how frustrated you get with your GPS when it doesn’t take you where you need to be. It’s the same when we are exploring a website and searching for specific information. Having well-organized navigation makes the user’s experience delightful and is fundamental in reducing bounce rate.

Imagine the scenario where a potential customer visits your website and feels lost within the first minute of the visit. The result will be to close that window of the browser and never come back. Nowadays, people don’t tend to bother to understand something that seems complicated at first sight. If you neglect your navigation, users are more likely to leave your website.

Here is a list of things to help you level up your website’s navigation. 

• List six to seven navigation items you think your visitors will be most interested in. Orbit Media points out this number as the best number for SEO. 
• To sort out those items, you can use Google Users Flow report, a free tool offered by Google to visualize your visitor’s paths through your site graphically. What is even better is that you can examine the traffic and compare by segmenting and measuring the engagement.
• The wording should be neat and clear. You should determine the content you intend to put in this item and try to find a precise word to express it. 
• Positioning is also important. There are established places where users see the navigation bar, so putting it elsewhere isn’t a smart move. It’s preferable to place them on the top of the page or put them vertically to the page’s left or right. It’s essential to keep this structure on every page. 
• Coherently sort the items. Keep in mind that people are most likely to concentrate on the first or the last thing on the list. So strategically thinking, you should place the two items that you want most people to click on those two positions. 

When your website is easy to navigate – customers find their way to what they are looking for without getting distracted or irritated. So think about the user experience and focus on simplifying things for them.

2. Description of product and services

As we said, a significant portion of the customers today are used to exploring all possibilities before purchasing. The reason why many websites suffer from a high bounce rate is a lack of detailed and grabbing descriptions of their brand services and products. So the description is one of your website’s most critical aspects because it transforms a visitor into a client. The way you categorize your products/services and list them helps the customer’s journey to the cart.

Here we list a few things to keep in mind.

• Carefully examine your target audience. You’re the one to know best who your target audience is, what their preferences are, what other websites they visit, and how to grab their eye. Always keep in mind – what would they like, what information is most valuable for them. 
• Natural language and tone is the key to make sure visitors will fully understand what you’re trying to tell them so that they don’t leave a website. Try to explain things as if you’re presenting to a friend in a real conversation. This is important for the customer to feel connected to the brand. Of course, you can try something more specific like addressing your website visitors in a more intimate way like Nasty Gal, but we advise you to search for copywriter services if you are willing to go down this road. 
• Focus on the benefits of your service or product. When creating this list, your starting point should be the question – “How can this product improve one’s life?“. Probably thousands of different ideas pop into your mind right now but try to focus on the main features and keep it clear. 
• Use Power-words. Those words help sparkle the visitor’s imagination, entertain him, and ideally guide him to the card section. Here is a list created by Jon Morrow from Smartblogger that he keeps updating all the time. It’s called 801+ Power Words that pack a punch and convert like crazy. 
• Use only good images to show your product or work. We all know the quote that a picture is worth 1000 words and when marketing your product – this should be your mantra. Actually, Trend Reports state that today between 65 and 85 percent of people claim to be visual learners. So work on the images and keep in mind that having good photos, that are also well-curated will make your content easy to scan by visitors. You need to display your products in a clean and structured way and organize them by category. Something that is much appreciated today has a filter that can help users find what they are searching for.

3. Visuals of products & services

Having a website serves as proof of your professionalism, but this is only true when you’ve put hard work into it. And it’s equally important to work on your visuals as it is on your wording. And we are talking about the product visuals but the selection of images that guide the user in the website. Your website doesn’t need to be like a gallery, but carefully choosing images that fit and complete one another will help you level up the user experience and reduce bounce rate. 

As we said with photos, you can communicate a lot of information fast and effectively.

Showing your way of working will help your potential clients better understand the process and what they are giving their money for. originality is quite essential on this level because this way, you can differentiate from your concurrents and make a bond with clients.

Something you can think about is featuring photos of people who may resemble your target audience. This will help your site visitors to associate with your brand and products. If you offer a service, you may consider adding photos of some happy clients or partners and share some insights from your work together. 

And speaking of this, you can also consider showing photos of your team. Clients enjoy seeing real faces. This makes your website more personal. For example, Innocent drinks offer pictures of their team as kids, which is adorable and helps create a bond with the brand.  

4. Beautiful updated design

As we said – people judge by one’s looks. That’s why having a trendy appearance is so important. The design will make people like your website or hate it, and we can tell this for sure because it’s been over 10 years since we started designing and developing websites. You can check our developer’s portfolio here . The excellent design shouldn’t interfere with the user’s ability to navigate on your website. That’s why we’d say that user-friendly navigation and appealing design is the perfect combo to keep users on your page, and your bounce rate statistics will thank you for it!  

5. Links to Social Media pages

As social media marketing continues to take off, some businesses are relying only on presence only through social media platforms such as – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest. They are missing because people are more likely to use a search engine such as Google and Yahoo to find a product, service, or supplier, way more often than searching on Instagram or Facebook for the same thing.

This means that the right way to communicate your product is to redirect traffic to your website. This way, your people can explore the full potential of your services and products. Another reason for this is remarketing your products to people who have already visited your website because we all know people don’t make a purchase the first time they see something. То convinces them they’ll need to see it a few times before entering their card details or giving you a phone call to ask for a service. Plus, if you plan on boosting your business by some ads, such as Facebook ads, this way, you can easily direct users to your website for direct conversions. 

Don’t get us wrong. Of course, having social media accounts is just as important, but they are best used for building a true image of your brand. In social media, you can develop topics and show a more personal side of your work. 

Let’s say it’s equally important to have active links from your website to your social media platforms. Their people can see your business is alive, and you are posting and updating your audience on new arrivals, projects you’re working on, or really anything that goes along with your brand communication strategy. One last thing, interactions with your customers through social media, is quicker and it seems personal.   

6. About us page

A website makes it easy for people to discover your business and learn more about your offer’s products and services. But a website also shows who you are, what your company stands for, what your core values are, and how you apply them in your daily work routine. Help reduce your bounce rate with a grabbing “About us” page. Go wild, tell your story, be honest, tell your audience who they are talking to. We make several sections in our “about you” page to explain in detail what your company values are. 

Like we said earlier, you can add some photos of your office and present your team. People prefer to see the people working behind the scene, not just a name hiding behind a logo. So this is your moment to rise and shine and give credits to people who show up every day at work. You can also be original here and ask your coworkers to share a little something about themselves. This really matters when you want to create a meaningful relationship with your clients. 

Another positive aspect of an about us page is that you can influence what is displayed about your company. Most people won’t search the internet for a second opinion on your services if they understand it well enough from this section and get a detailed picture of your business functions. 

7. Company blog 

The internet is a prominent place, and to stand out in a labyrinth of offers and companies searching for customers, it’s essential to have a blog that will show your position on specific topics. Give your customers know-how and explain to them in detail what you feel good at and help them get better. Sharing ideas, sharing opinions, views on topics that are close to your field is priceless. 

Also, having a blog and updates shows customers that this site is alive and that someone is putting effort into them. And as customers, it’s always nice to know there is someone who is there to explain to you something. These factors are very likely to affect your bounce rate positively.

Well, those were the seven key points of having a successful website. It may seem hard to put them together but making efforts in the right direction is the key to success. If you have a hard time making a website for your business, no matter the size – big or small, we can help! Our team can offer customized websites that leave an impression and can make an impact. Actually you can see for yourself here.

Enjoy the benefits of a great design combined with a friendly UX for a better chance of converting your site visitors into leads and of course, sales!