The Ten Seconds Rule - How to make a good first impression with your website
Eight seconds. A website user’s attention span is somewhere around eight seconds.
I’ll be generous and make it ten.
This means that your website has a lot of work to do in a short amount of time.
Similar to an ‘Elevator Pitch’ - you won't get a second chance to make a good first impression.
To understand if your website passes the ten seconds rule, ask yourself:
Can a visitor see who you are clearly?
This can be accomplished with:
a clear brand (logo and company name)
a well crafted tagline
a professional branded hero image
Can a visitor figure out what the website is about and what you offer?
What is the primary problem you solve? This needs to be communicated effectively wit:
clever copy (use attention grabbing taglines or and bullet points)
supporting assets such as videos & images.
All of these should be clear above the fold as this is where visitors will spend the majority of the first ten seconds.
Visitors do go ‘beyond the fold’ – they know they need to scroll down a web page but it is important to provide key information to your readers as quickly as you can.
Can visitors quickly identify themselves as someone you service or sell to?
This can be achieved by:
copy that communicates to your target market and explains how you can solve their problem
photos of your typical customer (instead of a generic photo showing the service you offer)
Can visitors immediately see what they need to do?
A clear call to action telling website visitors what to do – get in touch, sign up, book, buy or whatever action you would like them to perform.
The action should appear in multiple spots on the website (generally top, middle & footer) and be communicated in different ways (do not repeat ‘contact us’ but use different phrases)
A clear call to action is an important aspect of making sure your website is successful.
How do you know if your website passes the test?
Ask someone that does not know what you do to look at your website, give them 10 seconds and ask them the above questions.
