The three-second rule: is your site efficient?

You could offer the most premium of products or services, but if your website isn’t efficient, you’ll never quite meet the mark. Your website should encourage your audience to take action, not test their patience before they’ve even had a chance to scan through. 

The last thing you want is to set your business up for failure with a site that can’t perform. When it comes to site efficiency, here’s what to watch out for. 

Load times

Nobody enjoys queuing at a bank, restaurant, or anywhere for that matter. Why should shopping online be any different? 

47% of consumers would expect a web page to load in two seconds or less, with 40% of visitors abandoning it completely if it took more than three seconds to load. We want the internet to be instant, and your customers aren’t going to appreciate waiting around.

The three seconds you keep a customer waiting could be the difference between them choosing you or moving on to a competitor. By not keeping your load times down, you’re encouraging losses that are unnecessary and easily avoidable.

Navigation

Some customers will want to take their time and browse your site. But often, we want to buy what we need quickly and get on with our day. 

A customer shouldn’t have to hunt for the exact product they’re after. Try to make things easy for them. If everything is available in a few simple clicks, you won’t lose the customer’s interest and they’ll be satisfied with a straightforward experience.

As it stands right now, would you say your site encourages your audience to take action? Try to view it from your audience’s perspective. Is it straightforward or complicated to navigate?

Mobile experience

Always keep in mind that different devices need different approaches. How your platform functions and operates on a website won’t necessarily translate to an app. If you’re expanding to the world of apps, it’s not as simple as just copying everything over. Apps will have different demands for usability and your load times won’t always carry over either. You want everything to be as clear and accessible on a phone as it is on a computer.

It’s worth noting that you might even be targeting different audiences with separate platforms. The demographic interacting with your website might be worlds apart from those using an app. With this in mind, both might need distinct approaches and features.

You could always consider an eCommerce platform that uses Google Cloud hosting infrastructure to deliver you speed and security as cost-effectively as possible. Platforms using Google Cloud see significant decreases to load times. In a competitive eCommerce market, you want to make sure you stand out as much as possible. Shaving milliseconds off your load times could be exactly what you need to edge out your competition.

If you think your website might be doing your business a disservice, we can help. The Shopit platform puts a premium on speed, reliability, and ease of use. Whether it’s your business’s website or mobile app, we can make your customer experience simple, easy, and competitive. Get your free trial here.