Can’t See the Web for the Trees
What is the business impact of a poor website?
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So now we’ve seen that many websites are less secure than their owners realise, as well as being slow to load and not optimised for mobile or tablet. What does that actually mean for SMEs? To find out, we surveyed consumers to understand how they needed business websites to perform.
Poor design
50% of respondents said that poor website design – including elements such as a garish font and poor quality images – would negatively impact their likelihood of purchasing or booking a service with a business. 41% noted they wouldn’t use the business again at all and 11% went so far as to say a poor website would lead them to leaving a bad review.
Out of date information
Having a website containing out of date information heavily impacts the likelihood of a consumer making a purchase or booking a service with a business. 49% of respondents said that they would be less likely to give them their business and 37% stated they would not use that business again. 10% said that if they landed on a website containing out of date information, they would post a negative comment on social media.
Slow site speed
36% of respondents stated that they would be less likely to give a website that was slow to load or use their business. 33% of respondents would not use a business again if their website was slow to load or use.
No SSL certificate
Sites without an SSL certificate (site security that is usually displayed as a padlock displayed in the URL or an ‘https’ site) were also off-putting for a large number of consumers. 43% said they’d be less likely to give their business to the website and a hefty 39% noted they would never use that business again.
In summary
Consumers are clued up about their online experience and want to deal with fast, secure and attractive websites. Without these key elements, SMEs could risk losing business to competitors.
Survey methodology
1,011 SME owners and 2,039 consumers were surveyed in April 2021 by Censuswide on behalf of Yell Business.