20 Surprisingly Useful Website Statistics Every Business Should Know

If you’re a business of any size, it’s a given that you need a website. However, just having a business website isn’t enough―you need one that performs. We’ve compiled these business website statistics to help you understand how your site should look and what kind of functionality it should have.

1. Only 50% of small businesses have a website.

That’s a staggeringly low statistic, considering how critical websites are for lead generation and nurturing, if not for actual conversion. Having a website to direct social traffic to is key to any digital marketing campaign, so if your small to medium-sized business (SMB) hasn’t explored this channel yet, make it your goal in 2020.
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2. 38% of people will stop engaging with a site if it has an unappealing design.

Have you ever seen a website that was so out of date or difficult to navigate that you just bailed and went to a different site to find what you were seeking? This happens quite frequently, according to this business website statistic. Make sure your content is always updated, visually appealing, and intuitive so that visitors don’t immediately bounce. If you need help, get some web design inspiration.
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3. 44% of users exit websites that fail to display contact info.

You may not think that your address and contact information really matters, and no one blames you for wanting to safeguard that information. However, even if you’re an online-based business, site visitors will lose trust if you fail to include your contact information.
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4. More than 50% of website traffic is brought in through search.

Search engines such as Google can be your best friend if your site is optimized to accommodate search queries—or your foe if it’s not. Search engine optimization (SEO) helps you rank higher in Google by increasing your site’s visibility in search.

Keep in mind that SEO is a long-term game. So if you’re looking to quickly rank in Google, consider advertising on Google with pay-per-click (PPC) ads.
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5. Nearly 90% of people use the internet to find local businesses.

This is yet another reason that having a website is so important for growing your business. If you don’t have an online presence, you may lose potential customers. This means that websites play a vital role in sales—even for businesses with physical stores. The reason being, even if people come to your store to buy in person, a large majority of those shoppers first researched you online. In other words, their decision to visit your store was based in part on your website.
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6. Men tend to prefer brighter colors; women prefer softer colors.

Sure, you’ve heard all about the importance of knowing your target audience, but you may not have gone as far as to consider their color preference when designing a website. While it may sound like a trivial detail, color impacts how your site visitors gauge the quality of your site. One study found that up to 90% of site visitors judge your site solely by color. The more they like a particular color, the higher the perceived quality of the site.

According to the same study, men had a tendency to prefer bright, vibrant colors, whereas women had a preference for softer, more subdued colors. The two groups did share a least favorite color: brown.
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7. Impulse buyers are triggered by blue, black & red-orange.

Colors can effectively trigger certain types of shoppers to make a purchase. Online stores looking to capture the interest (and purchases) of impulse buyers found that this category of shoppers is most likely to buy in the face of royal blue, black, and red-orange, whereas bargain hunters are most influenced by shades of blue, and traditional shoppers by pinks and light blue hues.
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8. Only about 1 in 158 people will become an engaged subscriber from a website pop-up.

Most of us find those pesky pop-ups on websites annoying. Either they’re distracting you from what you came to the site for in the first place, or they’re a hindrance when you’re trying to leave a site. While they can be effective, and there are many statistics on how they can help businesses build an email list, what those statistics fail to mention is that they’re not overly effective in attaining engaged subscribers.

In other words, only about 1 in 158 of your contacts from a pop-up will actually open your emails. That’s not very good unless you’re looking to waste time creating email campaigns that yield very low open rates.
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9. The average web page conversion rate ranges from 1 to 3%.

If your website brings in several thousand visitors a month, a 1% to 3% conversion rate is significant revenue. This also means that if you boost your conversion rate by even half a percent, you’re upping your profits by a huge amount.
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10. People interact 2X more with brands via mobile.

People are glued to their phones and convenience is king―and nothing is more convenient than being able to access a company’s website while you’re already out and about. For this reason, having a website that is compatible with mobile should be a priority in your digital strategies. By having a mobile-friendly website, it not only helps your site get found in search, but it also improves the user experience of those accessing your site via mobile.
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11. 80% will read your headline; only 20% will read the rest.

People aren’t reading the bulk of your website copy. They’re reading your headlines. On average, eight out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only two out of 10 will read the rest. What this tells you is that it’s important to craft headlines that effectively convey your key information, rather than depending on site visitors reading your site copy.
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12. …But 80% will watch a video.

People don’t want to read. It may be because more people are accessing sites from their phones while they’re on the go. Video content is increasingly becoming one of the most effective and engaging content formats. Incorporate video into your website, and you’ve got one more marketing tool to create a lasting impression on your audience.
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13. Sites that only accept PayPal are considered less trustworthy.

PayPal might boast loads of legit security features for users, but that doesn’t mean site visitors will trust an online store that offers PayPal as the only payment method. In part, this might be because it simply looks dated, and it makes it look as though your business doesn’t understand how to utilize other payment methods. In return, your business looks less legit. If you can’t manage to set up different options, then you might not be able to securely manage bank details.
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14. Consistent branding increases revenue by 23%.

From an aesthetic standpoint, having your brand imagery, language, and colors represented overtly on your website makes a strong impression on your viewers. This basic marketing practice pays off too, as it can even go so far as to boost your conversion and revenue by nearly a quarter.
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15. Longer landing pages get more conversions.

Marketing is always about keeping messages short and sweet. Yet one study found that longer landing pages saw 638% more conversions than shorter ones. Add enough content to your landing page to keep visitors’ interest and give them the information they need to know so they continue interacting with your brand in the future.
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16. Over 75% of people will share their contact info in exchange for a white paper.

Knowledge is power, and in this case, it can be a very effective lead generation tool. Having gated content like white papers or e-books on your website is a good incentive for viewers to give their email address or other contact information.
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17. Conversions drop up to 20% per second of site load time.

People have become accustomed to immediacy, and if your website can’t deliver quickly, you may miss out on opportunities—by 20% per second, to be exact. Choose a responsive website design that’s not so overloaded with content that it struggles to load promptly, and test it regularly to ensure its functionality is on point.
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18. Mobile conversion rates are 64% higher than desktop.

This is yet another reason to go mobile. When your site goes where your audience goes, you improve your online presence and your revenue. After all, people are impulsive by nature, and enabling your audience to make a purchase the moment they have the desire to will increase conversions and sales.
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19. 70% of online users have abandoned their shopping carts due to poor web design.

Online retailers know it’s difficult enough to get shoppers to purchase the items in their cart, but if your site is poorly designed, a large majority of people won’t make a purchase. Ultimately, people enjoy window shopping online, but if they don’t think your site looks credible, they’ll likely abandon their cart and find a competitor who appears more trustworthy.
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20. 40% of consumers compare prices on mobile while in-store.

Just because someone has walked through your doors doesn’t mean you’re not still competing with online retailers. If someone searches online and finds a wildly different price for the same product, or finds that they can get the exact product they want online that they’re not finding in-store, then they’ll likely walk away without making a purchase. On the other hand, if your prices are competitive for the same product, they’ll likely make a purchase.
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Bottom Line

Your website is the cornerstone of your digital marketing strategies―all channels lead back to it. Using these business website statistics, make it a priority to have a website that exemplifies your brand but is also tailored to your audience’s expectations. With a strong website that streamlines lead generation and conversion, you’ll build your marketing strategies along with your business.