First impressions matter. When visitors land on your website for the first time, their first impression will determine whether they continue to stay on your page or click the big ‘x’ button in the corner of the screen. It takes 50 milliseconds aka 0.05 seconds for users to form an opinion on your site. This means you only have 50 milliseconds to create a good impression for your users. And if you fail to make a good first impression, you lose the chance of turning them into high-paying customers. 

There are a couple of factors that impact your user’s first impressions. Design, user experience, mobile-responsiveness, and branding consistency are just some of the factors that impact whether your user will stick around. 

Design and aesthetics:

A clean layout, consistent design, and eye-catching images are some of the first things your visitors notice. And not having these components on your website can be a deal breaker. Users are not looking at the content or text straight away. They first want to see if your website is worthy enough to read. The design of the site will help to convince visitors to stay on the page and read beyond the hero section. They’ll want to know more about your brand and are less likely to click off. Combine visual appeal with an easy-to-navigate website and you’ve got yourself an irresistible website that users love. In a crowded online marketplace, a well-designed website can give you a competitive advantage. If your site looks better and functions more smoothly than those of your competitors, you’re more likely to attract and retain customers.

Your website is a representation of your business and who you are. Being consistent in your branding, including your colour scheme, typography, and imagery, will help your website remain consistent throughout. Consistency makes your website look clean, and being consistent in your branding helps make your website stand out, as your branding is unique to your business. It will also help make your business much more recognisable by having a piece of marketing that enhances your branding.

A poorly designed website can have a detrimental effect on your user engagement and can leave a lasting negative impression on visitors. Inconsistent branding, outdated graphics, and a cluttered layout prompts users to question the credibility of your website and its content.

Typography:

Typography plays a much bigger part in influencing user behaviour and warping visitor perception than you think. With typography, you can really tap into your user’s emotions and make them feel certain things when they’re on your site. Different fonts and styles can convey warmth, formality, playfulness, or urgency. For example, a script font might convey elegance or sophistication, while a bold sans-serif font can showcase strength and modernity. Aligning your typography with your content can help create a real impact and make users more engaged.

Typography can also be used as a way to capture and divert your audience’s attention to specific sections of your page. It helps highlight what’s important and what’s not, essentially helping your user navigate throughout your site.  A bold and eye-catching type combined with a CTA button will increase the likelihood of users reading your button. And here’s a fact: 100% of people who click on your button have seen your button. 

While you may be tempted to use a bunch of eye-catching fonts and types in your own website, make sure that the typography you use is clear and legible. There’s no point having content on your page if no one can read it. So users should be able to understand and read what’s on the page to increase the likelihood of them purchasing and not giving them a reason to click off your page.

Colours:

Colours are a great tool anyone can use to improve any design work. And this is also the case for your website. Web developers use colour psychology to influence the way users feel and think when they’re on your website. The colour scheme you use can impact your site’s and users’ mood and tone. Here’s a breakdown of how various colours are commonly associated with certain emotions and how they can be used in web design:

• Red: Red is associated with excitement and energy, and can also create a sense of urgency. This can be used in CTA buttons to grab your user’s attention and create a sense of importance.
• Blue: Blue is mainly used to elicit a feeling of calmness and reliability and is heavily used by financial businesses on their sites to elicit trustworthiness and professionalism.
• Green: Green is a great colour for those in the health and well-being sector as well as organisations who are fighting for environmental causes. This is because green represents growth and has huge connotations to nature.
• Yellow and orange: Both from the same colour family, yellow and orange are both incredibly cheerful colours that represent feelings of happiness, joy, and enthusiasm. These colours are a popular choice for businesses such as nurseries and kids’ play areas as well as in the creative and entertainment industry.
• Black and grey: Neutral colours such as black and grey have been used in web design to showcase a sense of professionalism, sophistication, and balance. Usually paired with white, black, and grey help to create contrast and balance and you can often find these colours in minimalist and modern designs.
• White: Similar to black and grey, white also represents professionalism, and sophistication, and can also be used as a way to represent purity. 

Colour can also help with contrast, guiding users’ attention and highlighting important elements. The colour of buttons, links, and other CTAs can significantly impact user behaviour. A well-chosen colour for CTAs can make them stand out and encourage users to take specific actions, such as making a purchase, signing up, or clicking through to another page.

Load speed:

Slow loading times can cause users to abandon your website, resulting in lost traffic and revenue. I’m fact, 40% of users will abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load. This is due to the frustration of waiting and looking for quick answers elsewhere.

This means your website should load in about 3 seconds or quicker. Reducing the loading speed of your site and maintaining a speedy page load is crucial in boosting traffic to your website. Running a report on PageSpeed Insights will give you a clear idea of steps to take to make your website lightweight. Things like compressing your images, caching your website, and optimising your site’s code can work wonders on your website. 

Every second matters when it comes to your website. As the seconds tick by, more and more users click off increasing your bounce rate, reducing your conversion rate and the loss of a potential customer. What’s worst is that these users are clicking off to go to look for alternatives, aka your competitor’s sites. This increase in bounce rate also impacts your search rankings. This is because Google uses bounce rate as a good indicator that your site isn’t relevant, causing people to click off and look elsewhere – when this isn’t really the case! To remain competitive you need to ensure your website is lightweight and loads quickly to avoid customers going elsewhere.

Mobile Responsiveness:

With over 60.67% of website traffic coming from mobile devices, having a site that is responsive on all devices is what your users expect. Websites have evolved so much that mobile responsiveness is a necessity. If your website isn’t responsive to different devices, you could be losing out on a huge chunk of your audience. When users can easily access your content on their preferred device, they are more likely to stay on your site.

It also helps boost your level of professionalism as it shows you’re willing to evolve with the times. It also helps increase your credibility, boosts your trustworthiness, and establishes brand trust. It also shows you’re willing to prioritise your users, showcasing your willingness to offer a good service.

Images and videos:

As you’re told countless times by dozens of marketers, people scan your website. And during the scanning process, the number one thing that captures your visitor’s attention immediately are high-quality images and videos. Using images that reflect your brand and its message can contribute to an overall positive user experience. 

Videos and images can also be used as a powerful storytelling tool, that helps the reader visualise your concept and create a narrative that resonates with your audience. They are also a great tool to simplify complex concepts. Using infographics, diagrams, and explainer videos can help users grasp information easily, and helps users scan much more easily – earning yourself a lot of brownie points.  

On the other hand, videos that are of low-quality or that are slow-loading reflect poorly on your brand and can confuse and even frustrate your audience. Make sure you’re using the images and videos wisely as it can make or break your website.

FOMO – countdown and timers to help create a sense of urgency: 

Have you ever been on a site where a countdown timer is just looking straight at you? Have you ever even felt the need to buy in, in an attempt to not miss out on the ‘latest offer that ends at midnight’? We’ve all been there and there’s a reason why brands use this method to create a sense of urgency. The lower the number is on the countdown, the harder it becomes to resist. Sometimes we even know that the same offer will come back sooner or later. However, we just can’t help to give in to the temptation. This sense of urgency and quick acting is based on the concept of FOMO- Fear of missing out. People often feel that if they don’t purchase before the offer ends, they’re missing out on a deal of a lifetime. Combine this with scarcity, and you’ve got yourself a winning formula. 

You may also like: The Power of Adding Call To Actions to Your Website!

Trust building- Testimonials & SSL:

Trust-building elements such as testimonials and a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate can really help to steer the way visitors feel about your audience:

• SSL: Trust-building elements such as testimonials and SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certification can have a significant influence on user behaviour when they visit your website. These elements help establish credibility, enhance security, and create a positive user experience, which can ultimately lead to increased trust and engagement. – makes users trust you
• Social Proof: Testimonials are a form of social proof. When users see positive feedback or reviews from other customers or clients, it reassures them that your products or services are reputable and trustworthy. This can lead to increased confidence in your brand.
• Improved Conversion Rates: Well-placed testimonials, especially near calls to action (CTAs), can boost conversion rates. When users see positive feedback just before making a purchase decision or filling out a form, they may be more inclined to take action.
• Reduced Risk: Testimonials help reduce the perceived risk associated with making a purchase or engaging with your services. Users are more likely to proceed when they feel that others have had a positive experience.
• Security: SSL certificates provide a visual indicator of security. When users see these signs, they know that their data is being transmitted securely, which is particularly important for sensitive transactions like online payments or data submission. Users are increasingly concerned about the security of their personal and financial information. SSL encryption helps protect this data, assuring users that their information won’t be compromised during their interaction with your website. The presence of SSL certification signals to users that your website is trustworthy and cares about their privacy. This trust can extend to your brand as a whole.