Organic traffic remains perhaps the most valuable component of any search engine optimization strategy. While paid marketing techniques can be effective in driving traffic to your website via search and social media, this is not a long-term nor sustainable solution for most people. Search engines constantly monitor what their users think of websites based on how they behave (or don’t behave) with each one. If people are leaving your website after first arriving, then this can have additional negative consequences on your entire SEO strategy. Today, we’ll review some of the most common reasons that people may be leaving your website so that you can make the necessary changes.

Poor Navigation

Perhaps the biggest reason why people who find your website through relevant search engines and social media leave after arriving is navigation issues. If your menus and links are hard to access, unclear, too abundant or otherwise confusing for users, then it is to be expected that most people will simply find another website that offers the same information, product or service. Likewise, mobile users increasingly find it unpalatable to use websites that are not optimized for mobile. When pinging search engines with links to your website, be sure to invest in a mobile responsive design and a refined, easy-to-use navigation/menu system. Without these features, many will simply give up as soon as they arrive.

Abundance of Ads

If you are using Google Adsense, banner ads or any combination of advertising approaches on your website, then you may be driving away some traffic. While a few ads strategically placed and relevant to an audience will not cause people to leave a website, an abundance of ads – including ads that are irrelevant or vast in number – can scare people away. Likewise, any attempts to “trick” people into clicking on ads (by making them appear to be natural content) is a big no-no if you want to maintain existing levels of traffic (let alone increase traffic).

Registration Woes

Does your site require registration in order to access vital or valuable content? In some cases – such as those where a paid subscription is required – this makes sense. However, trying to collect information from users in exchange for access to your website is generally a bad idea. This will alienate people and can play a negative role with regards to pinging search engines for SEO.

Legibility Issues

Is your website easy to read (across all devices)? Are your font clear, crisp and big enough to be read? If not, then you may be driving traffic away. Do not try to be too fancy with font selection or colors: this can often backfire and turn some people off, especially when there is an abundance of colors and small text.

Infrequent Updates

If your website is not being updated often, then you may be paying a price for it in the form of reduced traffic. People who land on your website and find little to no modern content may just assume that they should look elsewhere for updated information on a subject. Likewise, e-commerce brands must strive to keep a relevant and up-to-date appearance with regards to promotions and advertisements that reflect the month, season or current events in the industry.

Having trouble with traffic lately? Share with us your story below and let’s find a solution.