What is Your Website Really Saying?

It takes the average user less than 1 second to form a subconscious judgment regarding your site — so choose carefully what your site will say.

That’s your potential customer, walking away from your website because of poor webdesign.

Absorbing vast amounts of information within a short period of time is a necessary talent within my workplace. Actually, it’s more like filtering through a myriad of resources to glean little golden nuggets of internet-guru knowledge. I have to form snap judgments about the credibility (or lack thereof) of a resource, then zoom onto the next site until I discover something juicy to sink my teeth into.

This week, I dove into a meaty piece by SWEOR, which poured out some alarming statistics regarding the average site user’s perception creation process. The research findings are detailed, insightful, and alarming. One particular fact stood out to me…

It takes about 50 milliseconds (that’s 0.05 seconds) for users to form an opinion about your website that determines whether they like your site or not, whether they’ll stay or leave.

If you’re anything like me, you may have felt a faint ping of despair. How could anyone ever create an online environment that can stand up to that level of scrutiny, especially when there is so little time to connect with a user? Then I realized something amazing.

It’s an involuntary reaction.

We can’t help but form snap judgments about the character and credibility of a brand when we land on their homepage. If this process is indeed involuntary, that means that brands can mold the exact impression they want their users to experience. That makes snap judgment an opportunity, not a crisis.

So how can your business take advantage?

It’s easy to get lost in some websites. Let your layout guide user eyes effortlessly across and down the page.

#1: Plan Your Layout to Guide User Eyes

Have you ever gazed at an original Jackson Pollock? Where did your eyes go? Everywhere! You may not realize it, but our eyes crave direction. They want to be told where to go, both with artwork and webdesign.

That’s why an organized layout is the foundation of your website.

You don’t have a graphic designer to build a layout that effortlessly guides your users’ eyes towards your call to action (CTA) or product pages. Make a basic plan for your design! All it takes is some grid paper and a little sketching.

Below is a simple example. Note how how your eyes easily land on the semi-transparent white bar, then flow downwards towards the navigation tools.

The design might be dated, but the basic layout works.

Again, you want users to end up at your call to action. Too many companies forget to include one, or they’re afraid to scare away potential customers. Just remember this: the majority of people visiting your website will inevitably bounce within a minute. Make the small percentage of users that remain (because they’re truly interested) can easily take their next steps.

Once you’ve resolved the layout of your website, you’re ready to start considering color schemes. That’s where the fun begins!

#2: Engaging Users with Color

You’ve probably heard that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” That’s because colors convey messages and emotions that anyone can understand at the subconscious level. As a business, the challenge is controlling what your site’s color scheme says to users.

Interior designers understand the power of color and lighting.

While psychology studies are still uncovering all of the effects color has on the human mind, it’s clear that we’re wired to respond to certain hues. That’s why picking the right color palette for your business website is essential to success. It’s also why playing fast and loose with “avant-garde” artwork is a recipe for disaster.

There’s to way much information to break down the subject in a 5 minute read. If you want to learn and understand the power behind color, try starting with Verywell Mind’s outline on the subject. You’ll discover why too much yellow will cause people to flee, while gentle black backgrounds entice users to stay. Afterwards, be sure to visit the Creative Bloq for some wonderful color management tools.

#3: Shaping the Journey and Crafting Content

Layout provides the foundation for your website; content supplies the substance. Nobody looks for a burger joint that only sells fancy buns, because that would be stupid. Your users are looking for meat: well-crafted content that’s informative and convincing.

Would you eat a hamburger without the meat? I didn’t think so.

While a graphic/web designer can provide you with the eye-catching colors and imagery your site needs, you’ll need worthwhile content to captivate your audience. It should follow the layout that you so carefully crafted earlier.

This also means you’ll need an intuitive navigation tool for your users.

Building an effective user interface is fairly easy to do, if you have the right tools. WordPress alone provides dozens of free widgets for your business to work with. Drop down menus the most common devices for simplified navigation; just make sure you keep your menus as concise as possible. If your business offers a wide selection of products, try to stick with your top categories.

Make sure your website is optimized for mobile!

Finally, make sure the content itself consistently directs users towards a call to action. It doesn’t have to be the same CTA every time; encouraging people to visit your Instagram or Facebook profile may also provide some valuable buzz for your brand! You’d be surprised how often people are willing to respond.

Explore, Test and Refine

You may feel like your new website has to be perfect before launching, but that’s not true. Play around with the design of your website! Test different versions and see which variants your customers respond to. Web design is an ever-evolving process. You’ll quickly see what works and what doesn’t. Go have fun with it!