To stay on top, they say you got to have a website. So you worked on your positioning, landing pages, and funnels to make your SaaS business successful.
But do you know how your visitors are consuming and navigating your content? Are there specific things they must find, if not, they will hit the close button and go to your competitor’s page? Do they even read what you wrote or are they bouncing off after a few seconds?
Yep, you gotta know the common behavior of customers when they visit SaaS websites so you know how you can make yours stick.
But, you may ask, “Do I really need to know all these SaaS website statistics? Do they really matter?”
If you hate the idea of losing potential leads when they’re already at your door, then you MUST.
Let’s get down to business.
We’ve compiled 20 shocking SaaS website statistics that could explain why your website drives your new visitors away.
We categorized these stats into overall user experience, copy, and design. So you can easily spot which area of your website needs optimization the most.
20 Shocking SaaS Website Statistics
👉Overall User Experience
- A user forms an impression about your website within 50 milliseconds (or 0.05 seconds). That determines whether they will like it or leave it. Source
- An unattractive website will lose 38% of its visitors. Source
What this means for you:
First impressions last. This may be the only chance you can make a lasting impression, so make it work. The first thing, make it crystal clear what your SaaS is on the headline.
If I were the visitor, I want to know that you could solve my problem the moment I landed on your homepage.
Take Signaturely’s above-the-fold website for example.
It’s clear what they do—they help business owners get online signatures. Plus, they busted objections with the “No credit card required” subtext and added proof—4.9 star reviews on Capterra.
3. 47% of users expect a website to load in under two seconds on average. Source
What this means for you:
People are naturally impatient. They won’t wait for your SaaS website to be ready. Let your site load fast within their grace period—2 seconds tops.
4. Almost 8 in 10 customers give up engaging with content that displays poorly on their devices. Source
What this means for you:
In 2020, 50.81% of internet traffic came from mobile devices. So whether you develop for web or mobile, your site’s content should load perfectly on mobile as well.
When we work with SaaS clients, we always ask the designer for a mobile mockup because the elements—and sometimes, the copy—should be different there.
5. Free trials that require no credit card details produce 2x as many paying customers. Source
What this means for you:
Users feel more comfortable trying and signing up for your free trial when there are absolutely no strings attached. No friction = more sign-ups.
The only exception is if you have a B2B SaaS product and you want to filter your new users because:
- your onboarding process involves a 1-on-1 demo
- you want to limit the server space because having free, unqualified users waste your resources
- any other reasons that require you to “gate” your SaaS so you repel unqualified users that only bring in more cons than pros
6. 61 percent of users who have trouble accessing a site on mobile are unlikely to return to it, and 40 percent go to a competitor's site instead. Source
What this means for you:
Some users don’t just exit or close a tab if a site doesn’t load. Chances are they’d never come back to your site ever again. They’d go back to the previous Google Search results and click the suggested site below yours.
And yes, that’s your competitor’s. Ouch.
7. Leads that speak with a sales rep are 70% likely going to become paying customers. Source
What this means for you:
If you need to let out cash, wouldn’t you feel more secure to talk to at least one human being? Someone who explains what the product is. Answer your burning questions. And someone to help you find the best custom price.
If ever you’ve seen fancy chat buttons on almost *every* SaaS website that you visit, that’s because they do bring your customer engagement up a notch.
Add a chat button to see an increase in customer engagement. (When we did it for clients, they got 3x more engagement!)
8. On average, SaaS can convert 2% of website visitors to leads. Source
What this means for you:
Your new users all start as website visitors who happen to find you when they were searching for solutions or trying to sharpen their knowledge. Now, 2% of those visitors are already 90% sold in buying a solution.
Make sure you’re showing (not telling) the real value of your product from your website so you capture them.
👉Copy and Messaging
9. 34% of consumers are more likely to make an unplanned purchase after receiving personalized content. Source
What this means for you:
Almost all consumers expect some degree of personalization. The content should feel tailored to their needs, relevant, and helpful. If your brand helps them improve in new ways, it makes your content even more valuable.
And no, it’s not just the “First Name” personalization. We’re talking about web page-qualified leads (i.e., What key pages are they visiting? Are they on the pricing page? Did they just download your case study? Oh now, they’re consuming one of the use-case pages for like 10 minutes already!)
10. Visitors spend an average of 5.59 seconds browsing a website's written content. Source
What this means for you:
Design matters, but your copy can make or break your user’s impression. Make sure that when writing content, you’re talking about things that they’re already thinking about.
Your content should let you join the conversations that are already happening inside their heads.
11. Typically, visitors will read just 20% of the content on a page.
What this means for you:
Don’t expect that new users will read your copy word per word. You have to format your page so that you highlight and optimize the key areas:
- Your headline
- The menu (yes, it could dictate what pages they’ll check out next)
- The subheadlines
- Your CTA copy
12. 81% of users read the paragraph of body text. It drops down up to 32% by the fourth paragraph. Source
What this means for you:
If you’re lucky, some users may actually read your text. But only a few will read it until the end. Usually, your intro decides.
And quick trivia: Readers usually scroll all the way down to the end of your page—your footer. (It’s a shame I can’t find the exact stat, I’ll search again soon.)
That’s why you have to optimize your footer so it highlights your key pages. Normally, they’re not the same links that you add in your header. Because if they are, Google apparently ranks you poorly.
Note: This trivia is brought to you by our previous web copy and email client. He let us in on this little SEO secret. Perks of working with clients who are SEO specialists themselves.
13. Personalized calls to action (CTAs) increase conversion chances by 202%. Source
What this means for you:
Buttons that tell a user what to do next affect conversion. Smarter CTAs perform better vs. basic CTAs.
Here’s a great example from UpLead.
Here’s why it’s great:
- It’s different from the rest of the SaaS website CTA’s. (The brain recognizes and digests it if it’s different.)
- It states what you get once you sign up—it’s the coffee date offer of the SaaS
- The new users have a clear idea of what they have to do once they sign up. They will want to get those 5 free leads.
14. Good copy can increase the conversion rate by 113% and even more.
What this means for you:
Converting copy requires triggers of emotions that will cause audiences to want to buy from them. Source
Basecamp does this best. Check out their headline.
It’s like adding more insult to injury—and it works, especially when you see all the social proof in there. 3k+ sign-ups in a week, huh?
👉Design
15. 75% of website credibility comes from website design. Source
What this means for you:
Most users research online first before making an online purchase. Usually, when they land on your website, they are 90% sold on buying something. They’re just now looking for reviews, social proof, and credibility.
So the design of your website is one of those biggest, “first impression” factors that influence that choice.
16. 50% of consumers believe that a business’s overall branding depends on its website design. Source
What this means for you:
Branding is what consumers think of your product. Your website is like your 24/7 sales agent so make him look the part—clothe it with your branding colors. Arm it with copy that sounds like you. Sprinkle your character all over it.
If you can’t make your website as your own, then what’s the point of publishing it?
17. 40% of consumers said they value images on a company website, 39% said color, and 21% said video. Source
What this means for you:
Is it news that images, color, and videos are the top visual elements consumers value on any website? Your website needs to be appealing. Even it sometimes requires an opinion from the inner child in you. Give yourself the permission to play with hues, colors, icons, pictures, and logos. This is the fun part of branding!
18. 66% of people prefer to look at a beautifully designed website if given 15 minutes to browse. Source
What this means for you:
Seeing isn’t similar to reading. Users tend to look at pleasing aesthetics before they read a body of text.
19. First impressions are 94% design-related. Source
20. When a website isn't user-friendly, 42% of people leave. Source
What this means for you:
“Don’t make me think.”
“Don’t make me guess.”
“Don’t add another problem to my day.”
These are what your design’s slogan should be. Unfortunately, many SaaS make their websites too sophisticatedly techy (like their product), thinking that’s the way to win customers.
But nope. You have to keep it simple.
What to do now that you know these SaaS website statistics?
You just read about some of the shocking SaaS website numbers. Are you now wondering what to do with them?
If you're looking to get more sign ups, book more demos, and win your next clients, start doing these 5 things to improve your website.
- Review your website analytics
If you don't already use Google Analytics, it's time to start. This free tool tells you what pages users are looking at, how long they stay on your website, and where they come from (instead of trying to guess all of this through intuition).
- Check your conversion rates.
The first thing you can do to improve your business is to check your conversion rates. Conversion rates are the percentage of visitors who become customers.
Most SaaS founders are clueless the moment we ask them what their conversion numbers are. Maybe you are too right now. But you could always start tracking them right now. Like today.
Ask your Marketing Lead to do this for you.
- Ask visitors what they’re looking for via chat.
You should consider including a chat widget on your site if you don’t have one yet. This in-app messaging can increase your real-time engagement. You can give visitors what they want if you have a live chat on your site.
- Update your website.
When was the last time you audited your website? Have you included your new features, showcased your new positioning, or published the new copy you wrote? Sometimes what you have is already working, but it’s just outdated.
And you’re doing yourself a disservice. You’ve worked so hard to be where you are right now. You have to flaunt it so you attract the ideal leads that are more fit with your latest offer.
- Or better yet, ask an expert to audit your site.
A good positioning, on-point copy, and a flawless design that help start a pleasing website experience is the ultimate combo for a converting SaaS website.
The pool of copywriting and marketing experts from CaaSocio can help you identify the changes to your website that will ultimately serve your needs.
The statistics are in, your turn.
Your website is your storefront. And like any good store, it needs to be appealing visually and insightful.
These 20 shocking website statistics show that your website drives the behavior of your users. One of the most important things you can do is make sure it’s telling them good stuff. A well-written web copy will help guide these visitors on their way to conversion.
You don't have to do this alone. We can help you write your website copy for you. We assure you that every visitor gets your message the moment they land in there.
Our team will take care of everything—from the strategy, positioning, and messaging. If you’re ready to create engaging content that converts visitors into customers, let’s talk.
Main image source: Vecteezy.com
