Have you ever questioned where your guests look first once they enter your web page? Two brilliant researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology established the answer to this concern by means of eye-tracking software. In line with the outcome of their study, it takes about 2.6 seconds from the moment a web page loads, for a person’s eyes to center their attention on a specific element. From a design viewpoint, this means that whatever your visitors are looking at first better be great.
First impressions are essential, as more people use the Internet to look for information, a user’s first impressions of a website can make a big impact. It all comes down whether your audience perceives your site favorable or unfavorable.
A recent study shows that 56% of customers are more likely to buy goods from certain brands if they find their website designs great.
Keep it simple
A well laid-out and user-friendly website is always more effective than a messy, chaotic page full of unnecessary information. If possible, limit your top-level navigation menu (don’t exceed to more than six to eight tabs), keep them visibly labeled and organize the related pages under those tabs.
Add site search to the upper right corner of your web page for your visitors to use, so they can quickly find what they are searching for. Use a few deliberately placed, high-quality images to give your website a professional look.
Easy access to contact information
Your contact information should be easily noticeable. If possible, place it at the top of your home page, so that people don’t have to look hard for an address or a phone number if they want to communicate.
Making sure that your contact information is accessible through the main navigation menu could also be a good strategy.
The study conducted by Missouri S&T found out that users usually spend time looking at both social media icons and the bottom most part of the website. Placing social media account links at both header and footer of your web page will serve as an attention grabber, and also a way to keep in touch with your customers.
Benefit from the SEO
A picture is worth a thousand words, particularly on a website. But that certain photo should be SEO-friendly, in order for people to easily find your business.
SEO is another serious aspect of website design. Search engines usually analyze your webpage from top to bottom and left to right. Pictures will most likely not be picked up by search engines, so it’s important to place titles and alt tags that will allow your images to appear in top results.
Mobile-optimize your webpage
People would commonly use their smartphones and tablets to browse the Web these days. It’s more significant than ever to ensure that your website can run smoothly from both desktop and mobile views.
Clients already demand a desktop experience when browsing their smartphones and tablets, creating more reason for your website to be mobile-optimized. This could be the key ingredient to conveying that high demand. Websites with inadequate content and awkward navigation tabs will most likely be passed over for another site that could supply a better experience.
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