The First Impression of Your Website

March 18, 2019

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First Impressions Matter

The first website went live on the world wide web in August 1991. And, in 28 years the number of websites has grown to over one billion. This dramatic increase demonstrates that a website has become a key tool for doing business nowadays. However, not all websites are created equal and some can even negatively impact a business’ credibility and perceived quality, ultimately leading to a loss in revenue. In today’s fast paced world, it takes only 50 milliseconds or .05 seconds for most visitors to form an opinion of a website and decide whether to stay and explore it further or just leave.

So how does one guarantee that visitors receive a positive first impression of a website and that it stands out from the competition? Below are a few areas that are critical to ensuring a good first impression.

Updated Design
Content may be king, but if a website does not have a modern design, that user will probably not proceed further to read that content. Visitors make the initial decision to proceed further in less than one second. And, the most logical way to impact that decision is with design. In fact, 94 percent of initial website impressions are related to design. It is critical that a website looks like it is current, not developed ten years ago. Some of the key elements to ensure an up-to-date website presence include stock or company images that are no more than a few years old, an updated or timeless font, and features such as social media icons and feeds, video, and a chat box.
Mobile Responsiveness
Not only does a website have to make a good first impression on a desktop but also on a mobile device. In October 2016, global mobile phone and tablet browsing surpassed the amount of browsing conducted on a desktop at 51.3 percent vs. 48.7 percent, respectively. And, 85 percent of adults believe that a company website viewed on a mobile device should be as good or even better than the version viewed on a desktop. Since not only Millennials, but also Baby Boomers are huge users of smartphones, it is critical that key capabilities such as submitting a quote or signing up for a newsletter are also readily available on mobile devices.
Fast Load Times
In today’s fast paced world, website visitors do not expect to experience slow load times. In fact, according to a 2018 research study conducted by Google, each additional second it takes for a website to load dramatically increases the bounce rate. Fifty-three percent of mobile users will leave a website if it takes more than three seconds to load and if the load time increases to 10 seconds, the corresponding bounce rate jumps by 90 percent. And, as we mentioned above,the number of people who browse using a mobile device has surpassed those browsing on a desktop. The number of smart phone users will not be decreasing anytime soon; therefore, slow load times should be considered a critical issue. In fact, slow loading websites cost retailers on average $2.6 billion in lost annual revenue. To help alleviate these slow load times, be sure to review the file sizes of images and optimize them. Slow load times can be further contributed to lost revenue because it affects a website’s SEO too.
Powerful Call to Action
A powerful call to action (CTA) helps motivate website visitors to become a customer. It can be the key factor that converts a lead. Many believe the call to action is the most important part of a website. However, a staggering 70 percent of small business websites do not have any type of a call to action on their home page. There are a variety of calls to action that can be placed on a website including a newsletter sign-up, videos, coupons, demos, and other interactive tools. A call to action should not only be well placed on a website, but the message on the button must be worded a certain way to demonstrate the benefits gained by participating.

We can Help you Make a Good First Impression

Many companies think when they participate in a trade show they are making that good first impression onsite. However, many times that first impression has already happened before a potential client decides to visit a booth because he/she has already visited the company’s website. Don’t let your website deter new potential customers.

If you would like diamonddog Marketing to evaluate your website, please contact us at info@diamonddogmarketing.com or 847-269-1422.