This post was guest blogged by Alan Johnson, who teaches you how to build a profitable website in 10 days over at The Rating Blog
There is no point to try and go easy on you so that I’ll get right to the point: I, as the visitor, could care less about how much you have worked on a certain website or what sacrifices where necessary on your part. If your website is worth it, I’ll stick around and will most definitely return, but if not, then rest assured: I will leave and never look back.
If you are one of those webmasters who seems to wonder why convincing visitors to return is such a challenge, here are the top 7 reasons why I (and probably many others) forgot about your website:
1 – A far too complicated domain name
Sorry to burst your bubble there, but I really do have a million things on my mind, and if you expect me to remember your “isntthisjustthelongesturlever.com” domain name, then you will be in for quite a disappointed.
2 – A dull template which everyone is using as well
If you are using one of those dull templates which you can find just about anywhere, then all you’re doing is providing your visitors with yet another reason to forget about your website.
3 – A bad title
If you want me to remember your website then you had better make sure that you make it clear what it is all about right form the start, and having a “this is John Doe’s blog”-type title isn’t going to get you anywhere. If your title doesn’t reflect what your website is all about then the chances of people not forgetting about it are slim to none.
4 – Absolutely horrible content
I don’t know how to break it to you but: if I come across a website with absolutely awful content, then I actually want to forget about it as fast as possible so that, obviously, I will leave and never look back.
5 – Bad navigation
Once again, if finding something on your website is next to impossible and if you don’t do your best in order to help me make the most out of my experience as a visitor, I won’t exactly be thrilled to come back, and, as such, it’s only a matter of time until I end up forgetting that your website even existed.
6 – Not enough updates
If you provide quality updates on a daily basis, I will visit on a daily basis. If you only provide updates once a week then, guess what: I’ll only have a valid reason to drop by once a week, Let’s just say that, if you post less frequently, people will visit less frequently and, as a result, they are more likely to forget about your website and drop that habit altogether.
7 – Nothing which makes you stand out
Even if your website is not what one would call horrible, I will, in most cases, still forget abut it if you don’t manage to provide something which sets you apart. “Not bad” is a term which isn’t going to get you anywhere, be sure to keep that in mind.
What about you? What makes forget that a certain website even existed?
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