How Web Traffic Can Bounce Your Business Out of the Competition
Businesses come and go all the time. One would think that there is no relation between a large, well-known software firm going bust and a small, family-owned concrete business going belly-up. Think again. Regardless of the size of the employee base, the industry, or the revenue stream, there are many similarities between companies that end up enjoying years of success and business growth, and those that go bust. The mighty internet is one factor that can lead any corporate entity to end up broke, unsuccessful, and ultimately in the bankruptcy category.
Bad Website That Leads to a High Bounce Rate
For those unaware, a “Bounce” is when a web visitor hits your website, doesn’t see what he or she is looking for or is not compelled, for any reason, to stay on your site. Then, as the phrase alludes to, the visitor immediately leaves or “bounces” back to the previous page. For many websites, this is a huge problem as the web is too competitive and companies should go in with the firm belief that every visitor should be converted into a sale.
The main difference between the growth and dying of corporations is that the companies that end up going bust don’t know that their bounce rate is even a problem and subsequently never fix it. Worse yet, is when no one in the organization has taken the time to even learn what a bounce rate is.
In my opinion, the bounce rate cut-off should be 55%. Therefore, with every ten unique visitors to your website, about 5 visitors end up staying on the site and possibly visiting more than one page.
A quick installation of Google Analytics would really leave no excuse for a prolonged high bounce rate. For those who are not familiar, Google Analytics is software that is free to use and provides a plethora of statistics on your website including, of course, your bounce rate.
A good company will always keep track of this number and adjust accordingly. On the other end of the spectrum, a poor company will take the bounce rate number at face value and attempt to outsource the job to a poor marketing vendor. It doesn’t work and, after going through thousands of dollars, they surrender and accept web inferiority.
The problem is that some companies are not being creative, and after a while they find themselves getting beaten badly by the other companies in their industry. A failure to understand the magnitude of website traction is a sign that a company will eventually see a prolonged downturn that can lead to annihilation.
Here are some factors that lead to a website obtaining a high bounce rate, low business conversion per visit, and a subsequent loss of business that will inch any company closer and closer to failure:
1. Website is not attractive
If your company has a website that looks sloppy and is not well done (aesthetically speaking), it relays the message to the customer that you don’t care about your business, so why would you care about theirs?
2. Website is not informative
People are tired of being sold. Upon coming to your website, they want to learn just about as much as your company and yourself as they do your products. If you’re selling retail, this is especially important because, you could be half way around the world. Additionally, industry related articles are a great way to attract the potential customer.
3. Website is just like any other competitor’s site
A website should not be treated as a commodity. Instead, it should have a different feel than the experience your competition provides. Instead of taking immediate action, go to all of your competitors’ websites, write down what you like and don’t like about them, and then formulate your plan of attack from there.
The internet has proven itself to be an incredible business tool when utilized to its most beneficial degree. However, the above article is commentary on how, if neglected, a website can sometimes do more harm than good. Ultimately web traffic is often in the effort of profit, and a poorly constructed or poorly maintained website will leave nothing but a bad taste in the mouths of potential clients.
Ken Sundheim is the founder and CEO of KAS Placement Executive Staffing, a 5-year-old company with nearly 10 employees and growing at a very rapid pace. Ken feels that if you make your employees “not employees” and give them the creativity to think and execute the way they see fit, you can create something great.
