As website owners and managers, it’s very easy to get carried away with “enriching” our websites with things that we think will make for a better online presence. But, did you know, some of those additions can make users turn away or even distrust your site as a whole? While exercising SEO best practices can help bring the traffic in, there are other things that can send that traffic right back out the door. Let’s take a look at what can make visitors discredit your site before they understand who you truly are.

Auto-starting Media
One thing that users hate is auto-starting media. No matter how great a website is, when music, videos, or virtual agents start playing without consent, the first response is to find the offender and shut it down. Not only is it annoying to have unexpected sound suddenly play on page load, but the surprise can make a visitor weary of other surprises. The media itself can very well be a fun, interactive way to present valuable information; however, it’s best to let the user decide to initiate the streaming.

Cluttered Design
It is human nature to make decisions and judgments based on first impression; that’s why making sure your site looks clean and put together is critical! When a user is greeted with tons of advertisements, buttons, alerts, pop-ups, and other media besides the main content, it very quickly becomes an overwhelming and exhausting experience. Users want to be able to get to what they want, and quickly. If there are too many distractions getting in the way of finding the information they want, users will become exhausted and may dismiss your website for not being useful. If having extras on your site is a must, be sure that these elements fall as seamlessly into the existing design as possible.

Issues on Mobile Devices
This goes hand-in-hand with the point above. One of the most common reasons for a user to abandon a site is because of poor mobile site optimization. This includes the frustration of having elements not displaying properly on their mobile device. Having a responsive website will make your users happy. However, certain elements, such as large forms, pre-styled imported codes, cumbersome widgets, or pop-up boxes may not fit seamlessly into your mobile friendly design. If a user has to scroll horizontally “off the page” to access a widget, it makes the site look tacky and dysfunctional, regardless of its functionality. If a promotional pop-up appears and the user is unable to close or scroll past it to access your website, you can be sure they will abandon your site in a matter of seconds. Don’t let all your efforts making your website mobile friendly go to waste! Keep an eye on your site and make adjustments as necessary.

No Blog/Old Blog
Blogs can do a lot to show visitors that your site is informative, fresh, and active. Having no blog or posts, especially if paired with a lack of updates on your site, can make a user question how relevant your site is. An old blog that was last updated quite a while ago can make users assume your site was once active and relevant, but is now stale and outdated, or even no longer deemed important. Build trust with your visitors by showing them that there are active professionals in your company that care; having an active blog can prove this to them without even contacting them directly.

You know that your company is legitimate, so why let silly website blunders make visitors think otherwise? If you have issues on your site that turn users off, make necessary adjustments or work with your webmaster so visitors can experience your company’s presence the way in which you intended!