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Website design mistakes that drive customers away
“Your salesperson made me wait for 20 minutes, talked about himself instead of asking what I needed, and then made me walk around the store to find what I wanted instead of pointing me to the right place.”
If you heard this customer complaint, you’d probably fire your salesperson. But ironically, that’s the same experience that many customers have from badly designed ecommerce websites in Singapore. And they won’t complain – they’ll just leave and never come back. Here are some common mistakes that are driving away your customers and pulling down your sales.
The best website designs are simple and intuitive. Even first-time visitors should know where to go and what to do, with a minimum number of clicks. Avoid overloading them with too much information or options.
For example, content marketing guru Neil Patel says your menu should always have 7 or less items, because that’s the most that our short term can manage. “Every time you remove a menu item, the remaining items become more prominent. Challenge yourself to limit your navigation to five items.”
Also avoid generic or witty labels that force users to find what they want from trial and error. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and imagine what words they would use to describe what they’re looking for.
Slow loading times
Microsoft and Google studies have found that customers expect web pages to load within 3 seconds, and 79% of shoppers reported that they would not revisit or shop at a slow website. And since Singapore has one of the fastest internet speeds in Southeast Asia, its customers are easily frustrated by a sluggish site. That’s why site speed is a critical element in any successful ecommerce design in Singapore. You can have great products and beautiful design, but if your customers can’t even view it, it’s useless.
By the way, page loading times also affects your Google ranking! Just this July 2018, Google announced that it’s now a factor in mobile search rankings too. “Make sure your site is responsive, as fast as possible, solidly structured, and full of excellent content,” advises the SEO experts at Yoast.
Bad or generic design
More than 75% of consumers said they judge a business’ credibility and trustworthiness from the website design. Invest in the quality of your product photos, writing, and layout. Compare your website with the best website designs in Singapore and even around the world, and honestly ask yourself if your brand can hold its own against these competitors.
“You could probably get away with a poorly designed store back in the early 2000s. However, today’s consumer expectations have dramatically increased, while our attention span has dropped significantly. This means you have to do whatever it takes to really ‘WOW’ a potential customer within a few seconds,” says award-winning designer Michael Wong.