Dear Hivers

Identifying website design mistakes is a popular topic for bloggers. Just see the number of articles responding to this query on Google!

Without going into easy irony or unnecessarily lengthening the list of posts on this topic, it seems useful to me to recall here the main causes of abandonment. And to emphasize that the popularity of a site depends on the respect of a series of technical, ergonomic, graphic or editorial rules.

Why and how to find out?

If you are concerned about your site audience, knowing if and why visitors are leaving your site is a factor to watch out for, as is the number of unique visitors, number of pageviews, or most visited pages.

How to do it ? It's very simple: just watch the bounce rate (Bounce rate). This colorful term illustrates what is happening: the user leaves the entry page without visiting another and bounces towards the exit. This valuable statistical data, coupled with the time spent on the page, indicates what your visitors like and dislike. In short, if the bounce rate is high and the time spent on the page very short, you have to worry!

Some pitfalls to avoid at all costs

1 An overloaded home page

If you multiply the images, animations and advertisements on your homepage, it may load more slowly! A chance in two therefore that your visitor does not wait for the end of the loading and leaves your site before having even had the opportunity to appreciate its content. A few seconds too long (5 '' max)… and your turn is over!
Tip : Test the loading time of your pages with Google Page Speed .

2 a muddled structure

The more complicated the navigation of your site, the less Internet users find their way around and linger there. The golden rule of the web is simplicity and speed. Structure, organize your information and make sure that key data - contact and interactions with your customers - is easily accessible.
Tip : Have your structure validated by a third party. What may seem logical to you may not be so for someone else.

3 Pubs galore

Nothing is more annoying than a page overrun with advertisements. The height of the inconvenience: the pop-up ads that appear when you open a page! If you are like me, you will tolerate a pop-up if the site interests you, but from the second you will flee it never to come back!
Tip : Avoid mixing advertising with relevant information. Nothing more annoying than a blog post laden with ads. If you absolutely want to monetize your site, prefer discreet banners and buttons, preferably tailored to your target.

4 Music doesn't always soften manners

Another source of irritation is music that starts automatically when the home page loads. Internet users have only one desire: to silence this background sound and, if they do not succeed, to leave the site as quickly as possible. On a related note, launching a video automatically is also a bad plan (although great). Music and videos can certainly enrich the sensory and artistic experience offered by the site, but on one condition: the Internet user must always remain in control and choose what he wants to listen to or watch.
Tip : Offer audio and video solutions on demand, via a teaser and a prominent button to grab attention without imposing anything.

Image Credit : 1