A recent Microsoft study showed that the average time an internet user spends is less than ten seconds. Combine that with external noise and other distractions. Then you will realise that people don't have time to waste. Specifically, your customers don't have time to wait for your page to load or get a 404 error. They will move on to the following site, which will load faster and have more explicit images.
Your website must function optimally to keep traffic flowing through your site and turn browsers into buyers. Your website needs to get your marketing message across quickly and effectively.
Importance of a Good Website
It doesn't matter if your business is purely e-commerce or a hybrid. Your website can help or kill your sales. Some clients like to browse online before going to a physical store, while others will start and complete their shopping process online. This is why a good website is crucial.
Brand Building
Most of us have never seen the Amazon warehouse or don't have a physical Nike store near them. Yet, we continue to buy from and share the products on social media. Why? Because we trust the brand, we have built trust with the brand through its marketing campaigns and websites because we trust them. That is the power of technology; now, a website is only one component of that system.
A good website helps build your brand and create trust with your customers. The website layout, loading times, and graphics contribute to how people perceive your brand. If your website takes too long to load or constantly crashes, you have already set the bar low for your business and people's perception of it.
Credibility
What is the first thing someone says when you tell them about a new hotel or phone? Let's check out their website or read the reviews. Having a good website helps build credibility; even on a personal level, recruitment agencies want their job seekers to at least have a LinkedIn profile --- digital presence matters. How good or bad your site is affects your credibility in customers' eyes. Think about online gaming, if you play Book of Dead at a specific casino and it loads very quickly you will probably remain loyal to that site.
Does It Have to Be Fast?
The simple answer is yes. Your website should have fast loading times for several reasons.
Google Rankings
If you don't have a fast-loading site, Google will not rank your site high in the search results. Let's say you sell antique furniture; when a person searches for an "antique furniture store in the Bay area," no matter how great your antiques are, your store won't be the top result. That person may go to the stores that popped up on the first page. So, you need a fast-loading site to be on that first page.
User Experience
If users don't have a good experience with your page, they will return to the search results and find another page. Remember the eight-second attention span of the internet user; that is what comes into play here. When Google sees this bounce back, they assume the page was irrelevant to the search, lowering your ranking even more. So now you've lost traffic and potential sales.
Tips on how to get your site faster
- Compress the images on your site so they don't take up space and slow down loading times.
- Remove pop-ups; not only do they slow down the site, they are tacky, and your customers hate them.
- Choose a fast web host for better optimisation; if you aren't happy with your current web host, move.
- Limit the use of external scripts
In conclusion
If your website works smoothly, loads fast and has the correct information, you will have repeat visitors and customers. You will also have good online reviews, and attract more traffic, which means more visitors, so the cycle continues.