In a previous life, I wrote content for websites and provided consulting services on marketing communications issues. Three pieces of advice given every client were:

1. Your website is somebody’s destination and not just address. They are arriving because of intentions and have expectations.
2. Online is how the vast majority of customers, prospects and the just plain curious will experience your brand so that experience must be fresh and compelling
3. The saying that you “don’t get a second chance to make a first impression,” along with the fact that competition is only a click away as is the potential for a viral bad review, has never been more relevant.  

88 percent of Americans look badly on brands with poorly performing websites and mobile apps

Respected research firm Harris Interactive (News - Alert) questioned 2,046 American adults for the survey from June 7-11, 2013. What it revealed is that visitors to websites have expectations (it is difficult to say whether they are great or merely reasonable), when going to a website or using a mobile app, and if we do not have an experience to delight us, it leaves a bad taste in our mouths.   

The top-line finding that 88 percent of respondents have negative feelings toward a brand that has a poorly performing website or mobile app is a warning to everyone. It should also not be surprising. Think about how you feel when you go to a website that does not meet your expectations in terms of content, ease-of-use or performance. 

And what are the feelings grumpy visitors have? In rank order they include:

• Annoyance (75 percent)
• Frustration (69 percent)
• Distrust (19 percent)
• Anger (13 percent)
• Disrespect (12 percent)

The disrespect one is interesting. It is not clear whether this means that they disrespect the site holder or that they believe they have been disrespected because their time has been wasted. Either way, this is a category worth further study.

The news on the “click away front” is food for considerable thought as well. For those Americans who said they have a negative reaction when a website takes too long:

• 28 percent would visit a competitor’s website
• 27 percent would not trust the website
• 18 percent would not visit that page again
• 13 percent would think the site may have been hacked

As a side note, more men than women said they would visit another website (32 percent v. 25 percent).

The study also provided not just what Americans dislike, but also a view on what would make them happier when they are engaged with your website or mobile app:

• 72 percent said their top priority was that an experience or product works whenever they need it
• 62 percent said they value their time and do not want it wasted by slow performance
• 62 percent said that based on their reason for visiting a site or using an app they needed to perform as expected
• 53 percent (associated with the last two points) said they did not wish to experience a crash
• 45 percent asked to have trustworthy results
• 38 percent thought it wise that the site or app be fun to use

The last one is driving the “gamification” of customer-facing activities in many enterprises and is certainly something to consider if you wish to move your customer satisfaction KPIs up.

“Just as brick-and-mortar businesses invest heavily in their store front to represent their brand image, our research shows that ecommerce retailers need to create a similar high quality online experience in keeping with the brand perception,” said Tom Lounibos (News - Alert), SOASTA CEO.  “If companies want to remain competitive in the modern landscape, they need their Web and mobile websites to engage the user and work as expected.  Those that are creating a seamless and enjoyable online user experience are reaping the benefits.”

What Lounibos failed to add, which is maybe as – if not more – important, is that this is not just about reaping benefits, even though it is implied that many are not necessarily paying attention to the performance of their online assets, particularly in regards to speed but also in regards to ease-of-use and freshness of content or relevance. As the numbers highlight, being negligent in the proper care and feeding of your online presence can have serious consequences. 

Trust is hard to win, easy to lose and difficult reestablish once lost. User experience discussion tends to focus these days on the contact center. That is critical because it is where your people directly and intimately engage your customers. However, treating your website and mobile apps without full understanding how important they are to brand stewardship, any time and all the time could be hazardous to your organization’s health.