Designing your own website – Part 2
Visitors will move away from your website in an instant. Our attention span is lower than it’s ever been and you really do have just a few seconds (5 at the most) to get your message across.
Don’t waste this crucial attention span.
1 2 3 4 ….5 Gone!
These precious seconds are just enough for a user to scroll (more on scrolling later) down the page to form an opinion about you.
In that time, can they? …
- Be assured that what you do is what they are looking for
- Feel inspired and intrigued enough to explore some more
- Trust you can do the job / supply the service
- Find how to contact you, quickly
How to get the most from those 5 second scrolls
Tell people what you do and how you help
This is the one and only opportunity you have to get your message across to explain what you do. The visitor will have one thing in her mind: “have I found the right resource for …”?
Your track record and examples are not enough
People like to see what you’ve done or what you supply, but they’ve seen dozens of websites with similar examples already. People need to know why you’re different. What will you do to go above and beyond?
Ok so you might not be everyone’s cup of tea
Not everyone loves what you do. If they did, the world would be a boring place. You’ll win some and you’ll lose some. Some people will not ‘get it’ or they will not be impressed or moved by what you do. That’s fine. Ask them.
Make sure you have an easy to use way of getting in touch. Offer a freebie – perhaps a brochure or some tips and advice. People love a freebie. Just don’t forget to get their email address in return so that you can keep in touch.