Businesses are losing out on valuable conversions as a result of poor website structure preventing potential customers from getting to the product they desire, according to web design expert Jakob Nielsen.
Citing findings from a study by his consultancy, Nielsen Norman Group, Mr Nielsen said that while websites' task completion rate rose from 66 per cent in 2004 to 81 per cent this year, some sites could do more to improve their information architecture.
He explained that while particularly motivated web users might try twice to navigate a site and find what they want, others are more likely to abandon the website altogether.
"If users are repeatedly led in circles or dumped into no-man's land by weak search, they give up and leave for another site," Mr Nielsen remarked.
"That's why deficiencies in your information architecture are costing you a lot of money, right now."
He went on to note that consumers tend to leave a site if it is "unpleasant" to use as well as when it completely fails them, suggesting that this means improving information architecture could result in extra benefits for the site in question.
Mr Nielsen advises those looking to fix an information architecture problem to mock up several paper prototypes of possible solutions and testing these on new users.
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