Why Isn’t My Website Making Money? (And How Do I Fix It?)

Today, users can access more than 1.5 billion websites, which means you have a tremendous amount of competition in the online marketplace, even if you operate in a niche industry. Competition isn’t the only reason for low site sales, however. A variety of factors can impact your revenue and traffic.

That’s why it’s common for companies to ask this question: Why isn’t my website making money? This post answers that question and provides an overview of how your business can fix these problems, which range from a slow site to a nonexistent search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. Get started on solving your site’s issues now or connect with our team online to see how we can help!

You can also check out our list of website optimization tools! And don’t forget, if you need help with web design, WebFX is here for you! We offer web design services to clients in Detroit, web design for clients in Jacksonville, and just about anywhere in between.

Video: Why isn’t your website making money?

Tyler Bouldin, Director of Web Strategy at WebFX, explains some common reasons your website isn’t making money and how to fix the problems to start driving more revenue.

1. Your website isn’t responsive

Did you know that more than 50 percent of the world’s Internet traffic comes from mobile devices? It’s true, and it demonstrates a growing trend. People are relying more on their smartphones and tablets to access the Internet, rather than their laptops or desktops.

That’s why a responsive design, which adapts to a user’s device, is essential.

Why an unresponsive website costs you money

An unresponsive design costs your site money for a few reasons, including:

Mobile-first index

Google is one of the world’s largest search engines, claiming more than 75 percent of the global search market share. This fact is important because Google follows a mobile-first approach to its crawling and indexing process. That means Google crawls your website and indexes it for search results from a mobile perspective.

If you don’t have a responsive website, Google will know. As a responsive website is critical to the user experience, non-responsive sites will (usually) rank lower in search results. A lower ranking translates to less traffic, as 75 percent of users stick to the first page of search results.

User experience

When it comes to web design, the user experience is crucial.

You need to provide the best possible experience for your website visitors. If you don’t, they will leave your site, which can result in fewer purchases and less money for your business. As more than 40 percent of online transactions happen on mobile devices, your company needs a responsive website if you want to make money.

Otherwise, you’re giving away valuable customers (and revenue) to your competitors. In short, an unresponsive website isn’t good for your bottom line.

How to fix an unresponsive website

A responsive site design or redesign is the solution to an unresponsive website. In most cases, a responsive design costs around $3000.

This amount can vary, depending on your site’s size, content management system, and any other site features. If you want your website to make money, however, it’s a necessary investment and one that offers a substantial return on investment (ROI).

2. Your website isn’t fast enough

Users today expect sites to load in two seconds or less. That’s why boosting your website’s speed by one second can increase your conversions by seven percent, which means more revenue for your company. Check the speed of your site, and see if it costs your business money.

Got a sluggish website? Learn why that’s a problem and how to fix it now.

Why a slow website costs your business money

No matter your industry, your company can’t afford a slow website. It doesn’t matter who your target audience is, from business buyers in manufacturing to early adopters in the tech sector, you need a fast site to earn their attention and their money.

Studies show that people won’t wait for websites anymore. That’s why websites that load in five seconds maintain a 35 percent lower bounce rate. For reference, bounce rate describes the percentage of single-page sessions, which highlights whether a user stays on your website or leaves without visiting any other pages.

A high bounce rate can cause your site to lose traffic (and money) by earning lower rankings in search results. Again, a lower ranking in search results translates to decreased visibility, which can eradicate your online sales, leads, and more.

How to fix a slow website

Depending on your website, it’s a fast fix to improve your site speed. For example, if you have multiple videos on a page, removing a few can boost your page speed.

Compressing your website’s images can also increase your site’s load time. Additional fixes, like the following, will require the expertise of a developer:

• Reduce the number of redirects on your website
• Optimize your site’s HTML code
• Decrease your CSS and JavaScript
• Review your hosting option

You can also invest in page speed optimization services, which take care of the entire process.

With 75 percent of businesses investing in SEO, you can bet there is a reason why. SEO helps your website become a lead- and revenue-generating machine by improving your visibility in valuable search results. If your company doesn’t use SEO, it’s one possible reason why your website isn’t making money.

Why an optimized website loses money

In today’s digital landscape, users rely on search engines like Google and Bing to find their next purchase.

Studies show that 80 percent of consumers and 71 percent of business buyers start their product research with search engines. If your company doesn’t optimize your website for search engines (and users), you miss a significant amount of traffic and lose a substantial amount of money. Your audience doesn’t even have a chance to discover your business and its products or services.

Instead, they find your competitors because those businesses optimize their websites for SEO. For an example of why SEO matters to your site’s bottom line, look at Reynolds Building Solutions. When they partnered with WebFX and invested in SEO, their website’s year-over-year organic traffic increased by 43 percent.

Even better, their year-over-year organic contact form submissions improved by more than 70 percent. With the potential impact of SEO on your company’s revenue, you can’t afford to overlook SEO.

How to fix an unoptimized website

Optimizing your website for SEO doesn’t happen overnight or in a week. It’s an ongoing process, which means your business needs to commit to SEO and make it a part of your strategy.

Even if you invest in SEO services, it will still take time to optimize your site and generate revenue from it. Companies that already use SEO should consider a professional SEO audit. If you already have a fast website and responsive design, missteps in your strategy could result in decreased traffic and online revenue.

With an SEO audit, you can receive third-party insight into your approach. If you’re ready to optimize your website for SEO, you can expect to tackle the following tasks:

• Researching keywords related to your audience, industry, and services
• Optimizing your website content with keywords
• Creating fresh content on a routine basis for your site
• Improving your meta descriptions and title tags for users and search engines
• Completing outreach to share your content with influencers in your industry

Depending on your business and team size, SEO may require time that your company doesn’t have to give. If that’s the case, it’s worth considering the value of an SEO agency and a monthly SEO package. With monthly, versus one-time, SEO services, you can get the full benefits of SEO, minus the time- and resource-commitments.

Keep in mind, however, the risk of cheap SEO services.

Start earning money from your site with WebFX

Your website is one of your company’s most valuable assets. A lot of businesses, however, overlook the potential of their site to generate revenue, leads, store visits, and more.

For your organization, this misstep is the perfect opportunity. Turn your website into a revenue-generating platform with the above recommendations today. Or, get professional assistance from our award-winning team by contacting us online or calling us at 888-601-5359.

As a full-service agency, we provide all the services necessary to maximize your site’s ability to make money and generate real growth for your company, all while creating a beautiful website.