Web Design: Making the First Impression Matter

50 milliseconds. That’s all it takes for a user to form an opinion about staying or leaving your website. In that short amount of time, can your website make a good first impression?

Studies have shown that the overall look and feel of a website influences the user’s first impression of what the site represents. Boring web design, small font size, use of color, the number of pop-up advertisements, and the slow loading of images are just some of the feedback by the participants on why they doubt the credibility of a website or leave the website entirely. Websites that have a good design are visually interesting and leave lasting impressions on their visitors. Here are some ways that you can do to make the first 50-millisecond impression matter:

1. Use of white space
   Putting too much information in your website can distract your visitors from the main purpose of the website. Make it simple and clean by removing any content or information that is not necessary. Prevent clutter by the strategic use of white space, which are blank spaces in the page that are intentionally left unmarked. This will allow the reader’s eyes to breathe in between each element or content.

2. Less text, more videos, and images
   Visually appealing videos and images attract users to stay on your website. Through infographics and info videos, you can also minimize the use of additional text.

3. Mobile compatibility
   Website responsiveness has become extremely essential as more people choose to use their mobile devices instead of desktops when visiting websites. A well-designed website retains the design and formatting of all its essential elements regardless of the screen size of the device used for viewing it.

4. Easy navigation
   Visitors are more likely to stay on websites with easy navigation because they can quickly access the information they need. Just follow the “3-click rule”, wherein the user shouldn’t take more than 3 clicks to get the information.

5. Less Loading Time
   A visually appealing website is useless if it does not load in under 5 seconds. Make sure to optimize all the contents of your page, especially the images and videos, in order to minimize the loading time.

The website design should be more than just making your site visually beautiful. It should also serve the purpose of attracting and retaining visitors to your website. Fortunately, WebFocus can create a design that can make a lasting impression on your website. Just give us a call at 706-5796 or visit our website at www.webfocus.ph so that we can give your site the best look and feel you deserve.