By Henry Brown

You could have the greatest product or service on the planet, but your success is far from guaranteed. Indeed, there’s one thing that plays a bigger role in your success – if you’re online – and that is your website. If you’ve got a site that frustrates the people you’re trying to win over, then you’re not going to get very far no matter how wonderful your product or service is. Luckily, this is one area of your business that you can change pretty quickly. Below, we take a look at five things that annoy modern web users, and what you can do to prevent them on your site.

It’s slow loading

If you’re wondering just how much time your potential customers would stay on a slow loading website, ask yourself this: how much time do YOU spend on a slow loading website? In an age where the internet is rapid, people quickly move their cursor to the ‘X’ button if it seems like a site is taking too long to load. Unless you’re offering something that’s genuinely one of a kind (which is unlikely), your customers will have plenty of other websites to choose from. Make sure your site is up to speed and don’t give them an incentive to leave.

[amazon_link asins=’0992279445′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’succeedingi0d-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’8f848b4e-94c0-11e8-b6d5-9ddbe76bcd65′]The design is a mess

Web users like sites with clean designs that are easy to navigate. They do not like clunky looking websites that are more difficult than normal to navigate. If your site isn’t as clean as could and should be, then look at working with a company like VistaComm; they’ll help to design a website that allows you to connect with your users. Sometimes we’re too “close” to our site to see just how messy it is, so ask a friend or two to give you objective feedback on your site and make any changes if necessary.

Aggressive tactics

We know, we know: you want to grow your company, and sometimes you’ll be tempted to be a little aggressive with your tactics. While it’s fine to have one pop up asking your visitors for their email address, if you’re asking every time they open a new page even after they’ve said no, then that’s too much. Similarly, think carefully about things like autoplay videos and other invasive advertising. These top the polls of things that most people dislike about modern websites.

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The job of your website is to offer a reflection on your company. It should transmit trust, professionalism, and care. Alas, no matter how much time you may spend trying to instill these values into your site, it’ll all come to nothing if you’ve got basic errors like spelling and grammar mistakes on your site. This is not amateur hour! Make sure you’re hiring a quality copywriter for your website’s text.

Incomplete information

There’s nothing worse than a company that doesn’t list their contact information on their site! For starters, don’t just have a “contact us” form page. You should list your email address, Facebook and Twitter pages, phone number, and address. It’ll make your customers feel more secure in their dealings with you. Finally, make sure this information is super easy to find.

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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.