A business must earn the trust of its audience, which the first step to earning a customer. Only if the trust is established will one consider becoming a customer. We are taught to make a good first impression to be more likable and win more business, but what about your websites first impression? The majority of customers search online before meeting someone in person, therefore, your websites first impression very significant.
Why first impressions are important
The Harvard Study of Communications states that it takes just 7 seconds for someone to make a first impression of another. Think about what can be done in 7 seconds. How many words can you say? What gestures can you make? How man different things can you do to accurately express yourself?
Go search, “First Impressions books”, and you’ll find countless books written on the subject. By now it’s pretty clear how important a first impression is in business and building relationships.
You can take many steps towards improving yourself. Get a new haircut, buy a pair shiny shoes, buy a fitted suit, enhance your tone of voice, refine your handshake, or prepare a clever opening phrases with a enriched smile on your face, but what good does any of that do for you if you’re not going to see them in person? What if you don’t get an opportunity of communicating with them at all? You’ll look and feel great, but you won’t have another customer.
Your websites first impression is more important
Over 80% of people research a company online before visiting the small business or making a purchase with them. That means 4 out 5 of your potential clients won’t even give you the chance of a first impression, meaning they won’t be able to see how awesome you are. That’s terrible! You paid for a $45 haircut, for nothing!
Maybe you already have a website and it’s set up in a way where someone can figure out how cool your company is in 7 seconds. There’s more to it. For some reason, people happen to be incredibly impatient online. Study’s have stated that it takes less than 1 second to form an opinion whether they like your website or not. We went from 7 seconds to less than 1!
So now 80% of your potential customers are likely to see your website before meeting you, and you have less than a second to make them like you and trust you. But how…
7 ways to improve your websites first impression
Studies say that 94% of first impressions are related to the design of your website, therefore, most users will judge if your website is credible from the design alone. Lastly, almost all visitors will not return if they had a bad user experience. There are many factors to your websites first impression, let’s talk about how to get your website on track.
Website Speed
In order for someone to even give your website a chance, they have to stay and look at it first. You’re likely to lose half of your visitors if they have to wait just 3 seconds for your website to load, therefore, it’s crucial that your website loads quickly before your visitors lose their patience. Make speed a priority.
Secure Website
Get an SSL Certificate. Besides the fact that Google is flagging websites for not having an SSL Certificate, it’s also important to display the “green padlock” in the upper left-hand side before your domain name. It shows to your visitors that your website is secure and you can be trusted. In these times, visitors expect to see that little green lock. If instead, it says, “Not Secure,” don’t be surprised if your visitors run before giving your website a chance.
Professional Design
You may think it’s easy to set up a good looking website because you have an eye for beautiful things, but what you have to understand is that professional designers understand the psychology of why people like what they like. They understand layouts, colors, fonts, shapes, white space, common practices, and so much more. To catch attention, the first thing your visitor sees, better be amazing.
Main Image
You can give your visitors the right feel while explaining what your business is all about with your main image. This is extremely common and you don’t even need me to tell you that. What you can’t forget is that the image must look amazing. You don’t have to spend tons of money on images for your website, but at least make the main image count. Buy a professional stock image or get a photographer to take nice pictures for you.
Talk to your audience
Your reader isn’t going to read too much before deciding if they will keep scrolling down to view the rest of your page. Make sure you know who your ideal customer is and speak in their language. Be simple, and get right to the point.
Logo
Just like the main image on your website, your logo is another big thing people will judge you on. Since your logo is one of the first things they’ll see, make sure it looks professional. Logos don’t have to be the most creative thing ever, but it has to look professional.
Be simple
Keep your home page simple. Having a page with lots of content, images, buttons, and links can get confusing. You don’t want your visitors to get overwhelmed and run away, so remember in most cases simple is better.
What will be your visitors first impression of your website?
A successful website has many essential parts to it. Your websites first impression is just one of those parts. How do you want others to see you? You have the power to make it what you want. Go out there and wow them!
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