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5 Ways Your Website Is Boring Visitors

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Is your website (yawn) boring visitors away?  If so, that’s not good news.  Still, you’ve come to the right place as we have a quick list of 5 things to watch out for.  We take a look at some common pitfalls that some sites fall into, and, more importantly, how to fix them.

1. Bland Website Design

The design of your website has a big impact on whether or not your readers will stick around for long.  Many people want their site to look professional, which is only natural, but there is a huge difference between looking professional and just looking like every other site online.
You want to instantly grab people’s attention when they find your site for the first time so that they will remember you in the future.  Some of that comes down to branding, but simple things like the colors you are using, the way in which your site is laid out, the font you use, your logo, etc.  It all has a big impact.
Try asking people for a second opinion on the look of your website.
  • Ask them what they think makes your site stand out from others?
  • What do they like (design wise) on your site?
  • What don’t they like (design wise) about your site?
  • Ask for suggestions on what they would change.
Also, take a look at some of your competitor sites and see what they are doing.  Which ones really stand out amongst the rest and ask yourself why that is.
The vast majority of sites look fairly similar, so if you can come up with an idea to make yourself stand out from the crowd, that is a great thing.  You aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel, just to add some sort of unique feature to your site that makes people remember you.

2. You Only Talk About Yourself

One thing that turns most people off almost instantly is when a writer/blogger only talks about him or herself.  It’s the same when you meet someone in real life and all they talk about is “me, me, me” – it’s annoying!
Readers are ultimately looking for information to help themselves, so try writing for them.
  • Think about the questions that they want answers?
  • What problems would they want help with?
  • How can you and your site help them?
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with using yourself as an example from time to time.  That can be a great way to help explain something, especially when you can prove something works by the fact that you have done it.  The issue is when you do it constantly, even when it doesn’t necessarily help explain anything.

3. Your Content Is Dull As Dishwater

Content needs to grab the reader’s attention in order for it to be engaging.  You can’t hope to do that if it is dull.
What is dull content though?
Well, one easy to spot cause is when you publish a big mass of text that isn’t formatted correctly.  Remember, you aren’t writing a novel, you are trying to engage with an audience that is always one click away from leaving your site for good.
Some simple tips that you can use are…
  1. Break up your posts into easy to read paragraphs,
  2. Include headings and sub-headings for each section,
  3. Include images,
  4. Add videos where appropriate,
  5. Ask questions within your posts that you try to immediately answer,
  6. Add links.

4. You Don’t Interact With Your Readers

Not interacting with your readers only says one thing – you just don’t care!
If people have spent the time to leave a comment on one of your posts, asked you questions via social media or got in touch with you via email, it is only fair that you take the time to reply.  If anything, it’s in your best interest to do so.  You should be trying to encourage reader engagement on your site anyway as that helps to keep people coming back for more.

5. Your Site Has No Soul

Now I don’t mean this in a ‘James Brown – Get On Up’ kind of way, more the fact that your site just feels exactly the same to everyone else’s.
We talked about bland web design previously, but here I’m more eluding to the way your site reads.  You need to put some personality into your writing and develop a way of talking to your readers.  Too often I find sites that seem like they have been written by corporate lawyers who seem intent on using the most complicated language that they can.  I think they feel it makes them look intelligent, but what they fail to see is that they are just alienating their audience.
Always keep in mind that you are trying to talk to your readers, not over them!
So there we have it, my top 5 ways that your website is boring and how you can fix that.  What things do you find really boring on the websites that you visit?  What instantly makes you want to click away from a site?  We want to hear your opinions, so please leave your thoughts below in a comment.

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