Often the most sophisticated and impressive websites get it wrong—the
first seven seconds. This is unsurprising, because the more complex a
website, the more difficult it is to get the first impression right.
Snap decision
The first seven seconds is critical for your audience. They make a snap
decision whether the website is worth interacting with or not. They
decide whether to investigate further or whether to hit the close
button. And this makes the first seven seconds critical for you too.
Increased performance is magnified on the home page
The benefits of optimising the home page are magnified because this is
where the “click-through funnel” starts. The effect is threefold.
Firstly, you can increase the number of first-time visitors who stay
and browse into the site. Secondly, you can increase the number of
visitors who return to browse the site. And thirdly, you can increase
the areas of the site visitors interact with.
For many
websites, the home page offers the greatest leverage for increasing the
performance of the entire site. While an entire website may take months
to develop, it may only take days to revamp and implement an optimised
home page.
Does this meet my needs?
Whether
it’s an online media site or a site promoting products and services,
the first thing visitors want to determine is whether it meets their
needs. They want to know if there’s something there for them. They want
to know this quickly so they can discard the site if there isn’t.
The first thing to do is position the site clearly in the just-landed
visitor’s mind. For a business website, who the business is and what
they do should be immediately obvious. A short, succinct positioning
statement can be highly effective for this. Make it prominent and
clear. Don’t bury it in small body text.
Ensure the imagery
isn’t deceptive or miss-leading. I recently reviewed a website selling
refrigeration units for trucks. The home page had big images of trucks.
No refrigeration units or cold graphics. The name of the business
didn’t refer to the word refrigeration at all. And the word
“refrigeration” was only found in the second or third paragraph of the
small body text. I initially assumed it was a trucking website, for
want of better information.
Don’t let me miss what I’m looking for
If the product, service or feature a visitor is looking for isn’t
quickly obvious, many people will discard the website and move on.
For a more complex business, labelling the click-through points that go
to different areas of the site clearly is vital. Especially if visitors
are specific in the area of service they need. Otherwise it’s like a
shopping mall with no directory.
First-time visitors should
be able to tell within seven seconds if there is likely to be a page—a
service or offering—on the website relevant to them.
If the
“list of offerings” is buried one to two pages deep or not made obvious
in the menu navigation, visitors are likely to skip over the site
without realising it offers what they’re looking for. And return
visitors (repeat customers) may never be aware the business has a wider
offering than they currently consume.
Is there anything new on the site?
Frequently-updated content is important for engaging and encouraging return visits.
For
new visitors, it adds credibility to the site. To see something recent
means there’s something happening here. It’s not a dead, obsolete or
seldom-visited website. And it’s more likely to have something relevant
to look at.
For return visitors, the visit may be just a
quick check to see if anything new has happened. If there’s nothing new
or interesting, they’ll click off immediately. If several subsequent
visits reveal nothing new, it’s likely they’ll forget about the site.
Keep at least one part of the home page changing and it will increase
the number of return visitors and encourage new visitors to click
through into the site.
Show me where to click next
Once you’ve ensured visitors are clicking through from the home page,
apply the seven second rule to every other page of your website. Ensure
every page of your website leads the visitor somewhere or towards
eliciting a response, purchase, subscription or enquiry.
Why many websites make a poor first impression
So why do many websites get it wrong? It takes multiple disciplines and
there are usually many dynamics to consider when designing a home page.
Collaboration between different skill sets is vital. It takes a
close-knit information architect, designer and copywriter working
cohesively towards the same goal to develop the right mix and balance
on an effective home page.
To complicate things further,
there are often multiple stakeholders on the client side with varying
priorities wanting input as well. Instructions often come at different
times and without proper discussion. Input and instructions need to be
managed and thought through from all angles.
The layout and
functionality of a home page needs to be flexible and able to adapt to
changes in the functionality, content, audience and offering of the
website. If the development process has been long, consider revising or
revamping the home page at the end.
As challenging as it can be, the first seven seconds is critical for every website big or small. Don’t neglect it.
Brad
Martens is the Managing Director of Seeclear, a website, digital marketing and design
agency in Sydney. www.seeclearonline.com.au
