Why mobile visitors might be leaving your site

According to communications monitors, Ofcom, smartphones are now the most popular device for browsing the internet. People are immersed in their phones now more than ever, so it’s vital that your site is optimised to deliver an excellent mobile user experience.

If you are experiencing high mobile bounce rates – whereby people are leaving your site as soon as they come across it and not digesting your content or viewing your products/services – then there is a good chance there is something crucially wrong with the foundations of your site.

Digital marketing agency, Yoma, possess the knowledge of how to design successful ecommerce websites – they have concocted a checklist of common reasons for mobile users to ditch your site and what you can do to bring them back.

1. Navigation issues
   Most smartphones will operate using a touchscreen, therefore you will need to be smart with how your site is designed. If a web page is too cluttered with content it will be difficult to read, or if links are located near enough on top of each other it’s easy to accidently click the wrong link. These experiences are frustrating and can drive your potential customers elsewhere.

Consider what is essential to your site and cut out anything that is unnecessary. When you reflect on the journey you want your customers to have and design your site around this principle. Placing navigation links in a drop-down menu so it doesn’t interfere with the body of your site can also be helpful in removing clutter.

2. Unresponsive design
   With the constantly evolving mobile industry, there are many variables when it comes to the different smartphones, including screen size, connectivity and keypad capabilities. If people are finding your site and quitting immediately, it could be that the appearance does not support the device they are using it from.

This can be fixed by making sure your website puts its user experience first and has a responsive design, whereby your site will automatically adjust its screen size and functionality based on the device that is accessing it.

3. Content overload
   Often people will be accessing your site from a mobile internet service provider, through 3G for instance. If your website is cluttered with media it will massively increase your loading times. Considering the majority of people pay for a contract with limited data – they will not waste their time and money on your site.

A solution to this problem is finding the right sense of balance between having enough SEO-friendly content to improve your search engine rankings and enrich your customers, without the speed of your website loading times taking a massive hit.

4. Redundant customer data entry
   When customers want to navigate your site they must enter data to complete a purchasing process. When using a small screen to do this, you have a much higher chance of errors, which can frustrate users causing them to leave.

To reduce the need for constant data entry, let your customers create an account that will store all their preferences, such as payment methods and delivery information and simplify the process in the future.

5. Inefficient site
   If your site doesn’t prioritise a speedy customer journey from first visit to purchase, then your sales will suffer as a result. To maximise your sales, you need to create an efficient online user experience.

On average customers are spending a miniscule amount of time on sites (1.8 minutes to be exact). To make the most of what little time you have with them, make sure everything is formatted simply and all information they need to have is clearly displayed and easily navigated.