GETTING YOUR VISITOR'S ATTENTION
Introduction
When thinking about how your web site will look you need to keep in
mind what you look for in a web site when you visit it. When you visit a
new site, how long does it take you to decide if you'll stay or go? If the site
is slow-loading, do you move on before it finishes loading? What if
there's a Flash introduction splash page? Do you wait while it loads to
watch it? If the site's content looks dull, do you close the window and go
elsewhere? What grabs your attention?
A recent study has found that most visitors to web sites decide if they will
stay or go within the first 4 seconds. Not much time to make an impression is it! Your site therefore
must grab the visitors attention immediately. Having done this you must then
give them sufficient reason to look through your web site and (hopefully)
bookmark it and tell their friends.
Will they stay or go?
Studies have found that most people start reading the text towards the top of
a web page before the rest of the page has finished downloading. You
therefore need to think very carefully about the text on your homepage. Does it
clearly inform the visitor what your site is about? Will it grab their
attention long enough to encourage them to stay and check out the rest of your
site? Remember, first impressions count.
Now To Get Visitors To Stay
Let's assume that your visitor has decided to stay and check out your web
site. The next thing you need to do is give them sufficient reason to come
back and visit, and to tell their friends! You can do this by ensuring that your
site has helpful information, services, and more.
Always remember to keep your content fresh.
Overview
How do you grab your visitors' attention in those crucial first few seconds?
Here are some critical points:
Once your visitors decide to stay and look around, they'll need reasons to
continue to stay, to return, and to refer others to your site. So remember, keep
your content fresh, alive, and interesting.